BFTO Series of OneShots
by Burntcore
Summary: This is a series of one-shots that follow Breaking From the Ordinary. These are the full unedited versions of the lemony chapters. You do not need to read the actual story to enjoy these bits of lemony goodness, but it helps. : AH
1. Chapter 1: Reunion

**********A/N Special thanks to my PTB betas HEAR and Sirenastarot. And as always, I don't own Twilight. This is the fully unedited version of Chapter 16 from Breaking From the Ordinary.**

**Chapter Sixteen: Reunion **

**BPOV**

By the time Edward and I managed to get to my bedroom, we were both panting heavily. My t-shirt was completely untucked and was riding up my torso. Edward's shirt was unbuttoned, revealing a thin, white undershirt. We had kicked off our shoes somewhere in the hallway during our progress through the house.

As we approached my bed, Edward peppered my face, neck, and jaw with kisses creating a trail of fire that burned deep inside of my body. He returned to my jaw, nibbling as he went before he buried his face in my neck. His hands roamed across my back and stomach, making my knees week.

"I have missed the way you smell so much, Bella," he murmured, as he breathed in the scent of my hair.

I laughed low in my throat as I slipped his shirt off his shoulders, and it rustled softly as it fell to the floor. I ran my hands across his stomach, enjoying the feel of his taut muscles through his snug undershirt.

"Mmm… all those hard muscles," I said, almost to myself. My body tingled as I imagined what other things could be hard.

"Oh, they are all plenty hard for you, Ms. Swan," Edward teased, seeming to read my thoughts, and ground his hips into me. He chuckled with a gleam in his eye as he stroked the sides of my face with the pads of his thumbs.

I felt heat flood my face from his words as I felt what was hard between his legs grinding into me. This was a side of Edward I hadn't seen before. I never thought I would like dirty talk. I had to admit, I liked it.

"I love seeing you blush," he whispered, kissing my cheeks. "And I love being the reason why you blush."

Edward's hands trailed from my face down to my sides. Slowly he pulled up on the bottom of my shirt, keeping his eyes on mine, making sure I was okay with what he was doing. Every nerve ending felt like it was standing on end. My body burned wherever he touched me.

My response was to lift my arms up to make it easier for him to remove the offending item of clothing.

As I lifted my arms, I wondered if I smelled. Edward liked the smell of my hair but what about the rest of me? I had been working all day and certainly wasn't as fresh as I would have liked for my first time with Edward. All the extra make-up and hair products that Alice had used on me that morning were starting to really weigh me down on top of my work grime. I really did feel dirty, and not the good, fun kind of dirty.

_Shit!_

Edward saw the panic in my eyes and immediately stopped pulling my shirt off. It was left hanging around my neck.

"Bella, I'm sorry. I shouldn't…" He took a step back to give me the space he thought I wanted with a confused look on his face.

"Edward. I want this, believe me, but I also want to freshen up." I emphasized my desire to be with him by closing the distance between us and slipping my hand under his undershirt so I could touch his bare skin. I felt his stomach muscles clench.

"It's just that I've been working all day and… well, I feel dirty and grimy. This isn't what I imagined our first time together to be like. I want to be perfect for you or clean at the very least."

Edward's eyes crinkled with mirth.

"You are perfect just the way you are, Bella." He finished removing my shirt and gently kissed the tops of my bare shoulders. "But if you want to get cleaned up first, I understand."

He took a step back and put his hands in his pockets. I smiled at him weakly and walked into the bathroom. After I shut the door, I leaned against it and tried to calm my tumultuous thoughts. I heard the bed creak on the other side of the door; probably from Edward sitting down on it to wait for me. My desire for Edward was true and undeniable; I had imagined before what our first time would be like many times during the past two months. Doing it after working and making up after a huge fight wasn't quite how I imagined it to be.

I didn't have a lot of experience with this kind of thing. 'SexyBella' was not me. But Edward, good Lord, Edward was sex on a plate. I could only imagine how many women he had been with. It actually pained me to even think like that. Edward said he hadn't dated a lot, so maybe he was just as nervous about this as I was.

_But you don't have to date to have sex._

I smacked myself in the head mentally.

_He wants you. He came here from Holly-freaking-wood to be with you. Put your big girl panties on and stop acting like an insecure little girl!_

_Or maybe I should be taking them off…_ The burn he started with his gentle touches was starting to smolder.

Taking a deep breath and willing myself to be brave, I opened the bathroom door and walked back into my bedroom. Edward looked up at me, even more confused. I smiled at him shyly and hoped I wouldn't blush when I spoke.

My hopes were dashed when I felt the familiar heat of a blush creep on my cheeks.

"You know, Mr. Cullen, the shower can comfortably fit two people," I said softly.

Edward's face broke into a huge smile as he got up from the bed, green eyes dancing, and walked towards me.

"Ms. Swan, are you implying that I stink?" he teased.

I shrugged my shoulders as I stood before him in my pants and bra, giggling. The back of his hand caressed my cheek as his other hand snaked around my waist, resting at the small of my back. He chuckled low in his throat as he kissed me softly.

"I was afraid that maybe you changed your mind about this," Edward murmured. His hand on my back idly rubbed circles against my skin.

"I didn't change my mind. I just don't have a lot of experience with all this. I'm not a sexy creature by nature and I don't want you to be disappointed," I admitted softly.

"You could never disappoint me, Bella." Edward tucked a stray hair behind my ear as he spoke. "I have to admit that I don't have much experience either. Despite the whole Hollywood thing, I was never a man-whore. Sex is such a flippant thing in Hollywood now. You know I'm not a virgin, but sex was never anything I took lightly. The women that surrounded me did, to them it was just a means to get ahead. It just encouraged me to date in Hollywood as little as possible."

"If we had done this before, in the summer, it would not have been right. I don't think either one of us were in the right place yet to do this. I already didn't want to leave and this would've kept me here. I doubt you would've been able to handle the separation if I had managed to leave."

I nodded in agreement.

"I never thought I'd be so lucky to have you in my life again after what happened, but now we are stronger. I suppose in one sense, we should be thankful for what we went through the past several days. We trust each other and are free of doubt."

I felt incredibly relieved. As badly as I wanted to be with Edward, I was afraid of how this would affect us.

Edward continued, murmuring softly, "I am thrilled that you would even want to be with me in this way. I have to disagree, though, with one part of your statement. You _are_ a sexy creature. Everything you do entices me."

I blushed again and smiled, my heart melting a little bit more at his words.

We walked hand-in-hand into my bathroom. Edward swatted my butt as I bent over to start the water for our shower. I squeaked in surprise and whipped around as the shower spray began.

"Edward!"

"Bella!" he countered.

We laughed again and I wrapped my arms around him happily. Edward leaned his head down and captured my lips in his. It started out light and sweet, a carryover of our conversation from a moment before, but before long, it became deeper and more intense.

I flicked my tongue to gently lick his bottom lip and I felt him shudder in my arms. His hands traveled down my body, resting on my hips where his fingers gripped me tightly. His tongue met mine as we kissed, tasting each other. I pushed up his undershirt and felt his intake of breathe as my hands barely passed over his skin.

Edward had to stop kissing me for a moment to completely remove his shirt but immediately brought his head down to continue. Instead of going back for my lips, he traveled downward, kissing my neck and collarbone. He used his nose to push my bra straps off my shoulders as his hands ground my hips into his, pushing his erection into my stomach.

I couldn't help the low groan that erupted from my throat. I felt like a firecracker had been lit inside my body and the only way it was going to go off was with Edward. My hands crept down from around his waist into the back of his pants to cup his butt. He had one of the finest backsides I had ever seen on a man. I used that leverage to pull him even closer against my body.

Edward growled and nipped at my neck. "Bad girl," he murmured as he undid the clasp of my bra and pulled the offending article of clothing from between us.

The feeling of my bare breasts against his chest was my undoing. My hands whipped around and quickly undid his pants and slid them and his boxers down. Edward stepped out of them quickly and took even less time with my pants and panties. As I stepped out of my pants and kicked them in the corner, I took a moment to ogle the magnificence that was Edward before me.

I had felt a sizable bulge before when Edward was pressed tightly to me, but seeing it bare was something else entirely. Edward was truly gifted in many ways. He was handsome and talented, smart and sweet, and deliciously endowed. My pulse began to race as my imagination ran away with itself imagining what his hardness could do to me… over and over again all night long. I think I blushed from the bottoms of my feet to the crown of my head.

Edward's laughter broke me from my appraisement of his form. The room was starting to steam up from the shower.

"I don't think I've ever seen anyone blush from top to bottom like you do," he commented as he closed the distance between us.

He reached up and gently cupped my breasts in his hands, his thumbs stroking my hardened nipples. I moaned, sagging into his chest. Goosebumps popped up and down my arms and legs as he replaced his hand with his mouth. The smoldering burn within me erupted into flames as his lips and tongue licked and nibbled on my breasts. My hands took on a mind of their own and drifted downward to taunt Edward's erection. My fingers combed through the tight curls surrounding his penis without actually touching what he most wanted me to touch.

"Oh, God, Bella…" he moaned. I felt him twitch, gently slapping my hands. "You are such a tease."

"I'm only a tease if I don't intend to put out."

I had no idea where this boldness was coming from, but Brave Bella was firmly in control at the moment.

"And we better get in the shower before all the hot water runs out. This is definitely not the time for a cold shower."

I slid the shower door to the open as I hopped into the spray. Edward followed right behind me, but instead of reaching for me like I expected him to do, he stood there me with a happy and wondrous look on his face.

"Bella, you are so beautiful," he murmured. "I have dreamed many times about what this would be like with you."

I didn't answer. Instead I reached for him and pulled him roughly against my body. My hands lovingly caressed the strong muscles of his chest and stomach as the water trickled down his shoulders. I ran my fingers through the smattering of bronze-colored chest hair, trickling one finger downward to follow the path his chest hair provided. Once again, I stopped right before I actually got to where he really wanted my hands. Brave Bella was having fun with this.

Edward let out a small groan of frustration.

I smiled wickedly as I reached for my loofah. "May I wash you?" I asked him.

Edward only nodded as he stepped to the side so I could soap up the loofah. His green eyes, darkened now with desire, followed me as I started to wash his body. I began where it was safe, with his arms and shoulders. I enjoyed taking my time, relishing the feel of his long, lean muscles under my fingertips. He had such an amazing body. I felt completely and utterly plain next to him, but I tried not to let that distract me. Memorizing every inch, every freckle and mole, every bend, and every curve, was my mission. I wanted to perform this mission all night long.

My path eventually led downward and I could feel Edward's breath catch as I knelt before him.

"Enjoying the view?" I asked as I rubbed my loofah over his legs.

"You have no idea," he muttered. He reached his hand down and pushed my wet hair out of my face.

I brought my loofah up and finally washed his hard length.

"Sweet mother of God!" Edward exclaimed roughly. His hands flew out to the sides of the shower to steady himself. I was thrilled that I could elicit such a reaction from him.

I was careful not to be too abrasive with the loofah as I washing his most sensitive of parts. I made sure to get everywhere I could, getting a very impressive view of Edward's anatomy. Before I became too enamored with the sight, I stood up and rinsed any remaining body wash from the loofah.

"Do you need to wash your hair?" I asked him.

He looked at me for a moment like I was speaking a different language. His expression finally cleared as his lust-filled thoughts abated.

"No, I washed it this morning."

"Okay, then, time to rinse," I ordered, gently pushing him under the spray to wash all the soap suds off of him.

When it looked like he was fairly soap free, I knelt down before him again with a wicked smile. "I have to make sure I got all the soap off of you," I said innocently.

Edward could only gape at me, realization slowly coming to his eyes.

Kneeling in the tub wasn't the most comfortable position, but he looked just too good and I had to have a taste. I took him gently in my hands, stroking the silky skin of his erection. He was large, but beautiful. My hands felt like they were made to do this. Edward let out a shuddering breath. "Bella," he breathed. "You have no idea how long I have wanted to feel your hands on me."

"Only my hands?" I asked teasingly and grinned up at him again.

Before he could form a response, I leaned over and licked his penis from the base to the tip, lapping up droplets of water as I went. Once I reached the head, I swirled my tongue around the lip before plunging his erection into my mouth. I kept one hand below the base, gently cupping and massaging his balls as my mouth went up and down his shaft.

Edward made some unintelligible noises as he buried his hands in my hair. His hips bucked as my head bobbed up and down. I thought I wouldn't like him directing me with his hands but he wasn't forceful, just guiding gently. Within a few moments, we found an easy rhythm. Occasionally, he would reach down to wipe water from my face.

The feel of him in my mouth was beyond words. I had only done this a few times before, and while I enjoyed it then, now with Edward it was a completely different experience. Yes, he was large, and it took some doing to accommodate him, but it was a quite a pleasurable sensation. I was getting aroused just from feeling his reaction to my touch as I ran my tongue around his smooth skin. Even if I hadn't heard Edward's moaning, I could feel his pleasure at my ministrations as I felt him swell and throb in my mouth.

Edward's hands clenched into fists and pulled my hair almost painfully tight. The shock of the hair-pulling traveled between my legs. I could not stop thinking about what I wanted Edward to do to me. It served to motivate me to work him harder, plus my knees were really starting to ache from the hard surface of the tub floor. His hips bucked faster in response.

"Ugh… Bella…" Edward moaned. "If you… don't stop… I'm gonna…"

I felt Edward shudder and start to pull away. Before he could get very far, I released his balls and grabbed his butt to hold him in place.

"Bella… you don't have to…" he gasped.

I stopped my efforts with my mouth for a moment so I could speak. My hand took over and continued to stroke him while I spoke. "I know, Edward. I want to do this. Let me do this for you," I whispered, huskily.

Before he could answer, I took his head in my mouth again. My hand pumped his shaft while I sucked and gently nipped on his head. I felt him start to throb again so I took him entirely into my mouth, all the way down to his base. I mentally said thanks to whatever gods there were for eliminating my gag reflex at the moment so I could do this. Seconds later, Edward clenched up all over, grunted, and released into my mouth and down the back of my throat. His taste was not necessarily unpleasant, just different. He pumped a few more times before I finally released him. The loss of contact was a little disappointing.

I stood up stiffly and gazed at him with a self-satisfied smirk on my face. A wet Edward was an awe-inspiring sight. Men typically are not considered beautiful, but he was. Water only enhanced his God-given chiseled perfection.

And he was mine.

I gave him one final look over before I looked into his eyes. The expression on his face was of pure adoration. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling our wet bodies together.

"You are the best girlfriend ever," he declared.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, and now it's your turn."

"My turn?"

"Oh yes. After all, wasn't it your idea to take a shower? Time for you to get cleaned up."

Edward chuckled wickedly as he reached for my shampoo. He angled my body so my hair was properly soaked before he worked in the shampoo. It was heaven. His long fingers easily worked into my scalp, massaging as he went. The fire in my belly was fed by the tingles my scalp was sending.

"Mmmm… I have wanted to do this for so long," he whispered.

"Wash my hair? Why?" I could think of many other things I had wanted to do to Edward besides washing his hair.

"Because I love your hair. It was one of the first things I noticed about you the first time I saw you. I love running my hands through it, feeling how soft it is," his voice deepened, " and, I've thought about how I would pull on it while making love to you."

My very vivid imagination pictured Edward behind me, thrusting deeply into me with one of his hands in my hair pulling hard enough to make my back arch and cry out in pleasure. _Oh my God. I think I just had a mini-orgasm._ A moan involuntarily escaped my lips.

I couldn't see his face since he was washing my hair, but I swear I could hear him smirk.

One of Edward's hands tilted my chin back so he could rinse the shampoo from my hair. After it was clean, he reached for my conditioner and began rubbing it into my hair.

"You seem to be pretty familiar around women's shampoo and conditioner," I commented. I was surprised that I didn't have to prompt him to put conditioner into my hair or how to properly work it in.

Edward chucked in my ear. "I had long hair when I was younger. Alice taught me the proper way to wash and condition it so it wouldn't get tangled and would stay soft and shiny. I think she liked my hair better when it was longer. She was always talking about it and touching it. It was a little weird."

After he finished massaging the conditioner in, he spun me around so my hair faced away from the shower head. He stroked my face and leaned in for a chaste kiss on my lips. I felt his tongue flick out to catch a droplet of water from my lips. Edward continued to caress and stroke my body as his hands traveled. His head bent towards my chest and I felt him lick up more drops of water that were trickling over my breasts. His tongue continued downward, swirling around my bellybutton. I held my breathe hoping that he would continue south. My knees were about to start knocking together.

With one final kiss to my hip, Edward stood up and reached for my loofah. I let out my breath with a huff in disappointment.

"Patience, love," Edward cooed.

He soaped up my loofah with my favorite body wash and started with my arms like I had with him. Never when I washed myself had my loofah ever felt like this. Every stroke made my nerves stand on end. Edward was adding more and more fuel to the fire that burned inside of me. The image of him behind me came to my mind again. I shuddered and felt my stomach tighten.

Edward continued across my collarbone and over my breasts. He washed one while he cupped the other.

"You have such perfect breasts, Bella," he whispered.

I shrugged. I always thought they were a little on the small side.

"They are natural and the perfect size for me. The color of your nipples is just the right shade of pink. I just want to lick and caress them all night long."

I groaned as his thumb stroked my nipple, bringing it to a peak again.

The loofah made its way downward again, closer and closer to where I yearned for him to touch. I wondered if Edward could feel the heat my body was giving off. To tease me as I did him, he completely bypassed where I ached and washed my legs and feet. I was very happy I had shaved that morning. Edward brought the loofah swiftly back up. I gasped as I felt his fingers instead of my loofah touch me. His long fingers nimbly stroked through my curls making my eyes roll into the back of my head.

"Edward," I breathed.

Far too soon, he removed his fingers and I felt my familiar loofah in its place. Edward gently finished washing me and turned me into the water spray that was thankfully still hot. He carefully rinsed the soap off of my body and the conditioner from my hair. I was very glad I spared no expense when I purchased my water heater.

In a mirror performance of what I did for him earlier, Edward knelt before me and stroked the soft skin of my thighs. He left feather-light kisses on my hip bones as he worked. I felt his fingers graze the close cropped curls between my legs. I thought my knees were going to buckle.

Edward must've felt my body sway because he shot a hand up to my waist to help steady me.

The fingers of his other hand continued to stoke my skin, gently rubbing my swollen flesh. He leaned forward to lick the same spot. I shuddered and moaned loudly.

I felt Edward laugh low in his throat. The vibration was a very pleasant sensation against my body. As he licked me again, a finger entered me.

If Edward wasn't helping to hold me up, I definitely would've collapsed. The feeling of his lips and tongue on me while his finger was in me incredibly intense. The fire raged into an inferno. I wanted all of him inside of me, not just his fingers, but I had waited this long to be with him like this, so I could wait a little bit longer. Just a little bit.

The inferno continued to build as Edward used another finger in me, stroking inside and out, pumping me while he nibbled on my flesh delicately. I felt his fingers brush the inside of my walls, hitting the spot that the few partners I've had in my life hadn't managed to find on their own. In the past, I usually had to take over to show what I needed. While this wasn't necessarily a bad thing to do, Edward seemed to be able to read my body so well that he didn't need any additional direction.

"Jeezus!" I exclaimed as he stroked especially deep. I felt my body start to quiver as Edward began to bring me to my release.

"That's it, baby, let yourself go," Edward urged. He angled his face deeper so he could taste me completely. His hand rolled my swollen and hyper-sensitive bundle while his tongue delved deeply inside of me. I felt his tongue swirl and lap, tasting and touching me in the most intimate of ways.

The inferno burst into an explosion as the fire erupted from deep in my belly to every part of my body. I saw stars in my eyes and I heard someone scream Edward's name. I thought it was my voice, but it didn't sound like me at all. My body felt boneless as the fire abated, leaving warm embers in its wake.

The next sensation I felt was Edward's lips on mine. His arms were the only things holding me up. I licked his lips and tasted myself on him. The salty musky flavor was strangely not unpleasant. It was similar but different to what Edward tasted like, it was the essence of us. Edward's tongue touched mine and our kiss deepened. Our tongues warred with each other, building the up heat between us again.

The moment was broken as I became aware of the now cold water stinging my backside. I pulled away from Edward and turned the water off. As soon as the faucet was closed, he pulled me to him in a tight embrace

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you too," Edward replied softly.

He reached over and opened the shower door. As he stepped out, he grabbed a towel and waited for me to step out too. Once I was out, he began to buff my body dry. It wasn't sensual, but it was sweet and endearing. I couldn't keep back the smile that was plastered on my face.

I returned the favor once Edward deemed me dry enough. He had the same Cheshire grin on his face that I did. We both looked like a pair of love drunk fools. It was an awesome feeling.

When I was done, Edward took the towel from my hand and dropped it unceremoniously on the floor. He took my hand and led me into my bedroom, his green eyes bright with excitement and anticipation.

"Ready for round two?"

**EPOV**

As I led Bella from the bathroom into her bedroom, I couldn't believe how lucky I was. After all that had gone on in the past several days, Bella still wanted to be with me. Granted, there was fault on both sides, but I certainly had not expected anything like this when I flew here this afternoon.

When we were in the shower together, it took every ounce of my restraint to not ravish her right then and there, but I wanted to cherish and worship her properly. That was something I would do in the bedroom, where I could lay her down and show her how much I loved her.

Once I saw Bella in the shower, truly saw her, I was overcome with her beauty. She was perfect. Her long chestnut hair hung in loose curls down her back, full and thick. The tips of her hair had just started to get wet from the shower spray. Her breasts were round and just the right amount of fullness for my taste. They fit into my hands like they had been molded for my hands only. Bella's hips were rounded just enough to show that she was a woman and not a girl. She kept the warm spot, the spot where I wanted to be the most, well maintained. I was glad to see that she didn't do that whole Brazilian wax thing that some women did. A woman who was completely bare made me feel like I was staring at an eight year old girl. I was most certainly NOT into girls like that. Women should look like women.

Everything about Bella was perfect, and she was offering it all to me. When she washed me in the shower, it was such an incredibly erotic experience. I had showered with a few women before, but those times were nothing like how it was with Bella. Nothing was even comparable. I had to keep thinking of other things to keep from losing it right there as she washed me. Her touch did things to me that no other woman ever had. It was electrifying.

And now, she was in the bedroom with me, waiting for me.

I sat Bella down on the bed and couldn't stop staring, causing her to blush. I loved it when she blushed, especially when it was because of me. Her skin held a faint rosy glow from the heat of our shower and her release. Bella's normally chestnut colored hair looked almost black with its dampness, providing a striking contrast to her pale but rosy glow.

"I love you, Bella," I said softly as I tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Bella looked up at me, her warm chocolate eyes shining brightly with excitement and curiosity. "I love you too, Edward," she whispered.

I sat down next to her and took her hand in mine. She smiled at me softly, waiting to see what I would do next. I reached over with my other hand and cupped her cheek. Bella leaned into my caress and sighed. I continued to the back of her neck where I stroked the nape of her neck with my thumb. Bella shivered. I nudged her head to one side, giving me access to her neck. I leaned over and kissed her where her neck and shoulder met. Her breath hitched and I felt her hardened nipples graze my chest. Goosebumps popped up all over my skin. The simple graze of skin made my body react swiftly. I kissed my way up her neck to the small spot behind her earlobe that she loved so much.

"Edward," she breathed. She squeezed my hand which was still in hers.

I continued my journey over to her jaw, nibbling as I went. Bella worked her free hand into my hair and buried her fingers in the strands, tugging on the ends of my hair as I approached her rosy lips. Her tugging made all my blood flow south. Just as I knew what kissing the spot behind her ear did to Bella, she knew what tugging on my hair did to me. I was surprised I could think coherently.

Overcome, I crushed Bella's lips to mine. I couldn't get close enough to her. Her strawberry scent surrounded me, intoxicating me. I wanted to bury myself in that scent. Slowly, I pushed Bella back until she was lying down on the bed with her legs hanging off the end. I growled low in my throat as I continued kissing her. My tongue was everywhere: flicking, tasting, and savoring. Her tongue played with mine probing and teasing me further. Bella moaned deep in her throat as her teasing caught up with her. That sound turned me on even more, if such a thing was even possible. Everything Bella did turned me on.

I pulled away from her just long enough to take a couple of much needed breaths. Bella's lips were swollen from our enthusiastic kissing and her eyes were dark, glazed with love and desire. I don't think I had ever seen them so dark. As I looked over her body again, I took in our slightly awkward position on the bed. So we could both be more comfortable, I helped Bella wiggle up on the bed so we were both fully on it. The momentary pause cleared my head long enough for me to remember that I wanted to worship her, not ravish her, tonight. Ravishing would eventually come, and I looked forward to it, but not tonight. I wanted our first time together to be something to be treasured for the rest of our lives.

I lay next to her on my side with my head propped up on my elbow. My free hand touched Bella everywhere that I could reach. I couldn't get enough of her soft, silky skin. Bella moaned softly under my touch and squirmed. Goosebumps popped up as my hand traveled over her body.

"Bella, you are simply breathtaking. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen," I whispered.

She blushed slightly as her gaze locked with mine. Her hands reached over and started exploring my body. The soft touches and electrifying caresses were quickly eroding my resolve to worship her. Before she could distract me too far, I gathered up her hands and pushed them back down on the bed on each side of her. When she looked at me confused and a little hurt, I quickly kissed her as I hovered above her.

I smiled crookedly at her. "You deserve to be worshipped, Bella. Let me adore you and show you how much I love and want you."

She nodded slowly, dazed by my declaration.

"Show me, Edward. Love me," she said hoarsely.

"Gladly," I responded, rolling fully on top of her.

I kept my weight on my arms as I nuzzled Bella's neck. She purred in response. _So sexy_, I thought. I worked my way forward to her lips again and gently sucked on her lower lip. I trailed kisses down the other side of her jaw and across her collarbone. Her skin was warm and still moist from our shower. Her strawberry scent wrapped itself around me.

As I moved down her body, I brought my face to her chest, kissing each breast slowly. She moved underneath me, trying to get me to touch her more. I gave in to her demands and took one hardened nipple in my mouth while I rolled the other between my fingers. I loved the feeling of her firm but soft masses in my hands. I was definitely a breast man. Slowly, I continued to kiss around her breasts and enjoyed watching her nipples darken as her body responded to my touch. My teeth gently grazed her nipple while I licked around it. Bella's hips bucked beneath me in response. I released her nipple and blew across the damp skin and Bella hissed with pleasure. I switched to her other breast and gave it the same arousing treatment.

Bella was becoming more and more vocal as I continued. Her hands clutched the sheets beneath us tightly. I never thought this shy woman would be this loud. It was a very pleasant surprise.

"What do you want, Bella?" I asked softly as I kissed my way down to her stomach. As excruciatingly painful it was for me to draw this out, it was worth it to see Bella writhe and moan.

"You," she croaked.

"You have me," I replied, trying to goad her into telling me exactly what she wanted. I couldn't help but smirk a little.

Bella's eyes flashed as she locked her gaze with mine. "No, I want you inside of me," she corrected.

_Fuck me. _My attempt at goading her backfired upon hearing those words come from her mouth. I wanted nothing more than to bury myself to the hilt inside her. I wasn't sure how much longer I could actually keep this up without just going completely crazy on her. At this point, I didn't think she would mind.

I took a deep steadying breath before speaking. "Really now… hmmm. I'll have to see what I can do about that," I said lightly, trying not to give away how badly I wanted to give in.

I licked around the edge of her bellybutton and ran my hands across her smooth, flat stomach. As I moved downward, she started squirming even more, her breath hitching. I completely went past her warm and waiting mound making her groan in frustration.

"Patience, love. I'll make it worth the wait," I teased.

"You better," she growled.

Bella growling was incredibly sexy. I made a mental note to tease her in the very near future so I could hear her growl again.

I kissed her hip and worked my way to her thighs. Bella was starting to pant. I could smell how ready for me she was. It was intoxicating. I caressed her thighs with my fingertips, making her moan softly as I went. I kissed my way down her legs and to the tops of her feet. Bella giggled as the scruff on my chin tickled the sensitive skin of her feet.

Taking a chance she might like it, I took one of her toes in my mouth and gently sucked on the tiny digit. Her head popped up from the bed in surprise.

"Edward! What are…?"

I removed her toe from my mouth and grinned at her. "Just trying something I've always wanted to try with you. You have such pretty feet. I just had to taste them."

She laughed softly and lay back down. I wasn't sure if that meant she wanted me to continue until she wiggled her toes at me. I returned my attention to her feet and sucked on her toe again. Bella giggled as my tongue ran up and down her toe, but as I continued working my way around each toe, her soft giggles turned into moans of pleasure. I didn't really have a foot fetish, but she really did have such cute feet. Since she just took a shower, I knew her toes were clean.

"Oh God, Edward, that feels so good!" she gasped. "I didn't expect it to but damn!"

I chuckled to myself and started working my way back up her legs. I kissed up the outside of her legs until I got to her knees, then I traveled up her inner thighs. Bella's breathing increased. I watched her breasts rise and fall rapidly as I approached the juncture of her legs. I took one hand and cupped her. My breath hitched this time as I touched her. She was so wet. I ran my fingers through her short-trimmed hair, feeling my fingers dampen from her wetness. Bella watched me as I brought my hand to my face and licked her from my fingers. Her eyes widened and a blush crept up her cheeks. She tasted sweet and salty and just a bit musky, not too much of any one part. It was perfect.

"Edward," she croaked, "please!"

I smiled as my hand returned to her wetness. A finger slipped between her lips as I rubbed her swollen flesh. Bella's moans got louder and now she was writhing on the bed. The hold on my restraint was slipping away. I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold myself back. There were so many times already where I almost lost it and came right there as I kissed and touched her body, but my friend, Restraint, helped me once again. I wanted to lose myself with Bella, but _in _Bella, too.

Wanting to torture both of us a little bit more, I dipped my head down where my hand was stroking her. My tongue gently licked her lips before sliding between into her heavenly wetness. My fingers continued their ministrations on Bella's little nerve bundle. I deftly penetrated her with my tongue, tasting her from the source. It was even better than what I tasted on my fingers. Bella's hips began to buck wildly. I used my other hand to help hold her still.

While I had just done this in the shower, it was also right after I had washed her so all of her delicious musky sweetness had been washed away. Now, all I could taste was her. All I wanted was to taste her tonight, tomorrow, and everyday afterwards.

I continued to lap her up, enjoying every moan and twitch her body gave away. My hand that was resting on her belly to help hold her down drifted farther upward to touch her breasts. I stroked the bottom swell of her breasts before moving on to completely palm them. Bella finally couldn't take it anymore and her hands flew into my hair tugging on it painfully. I wasn't the type of person who got off on pain, but Bella puling on my hair increased my passion. I laughed as I buried my face deeper into her. The vibration of my laughter must've done some very pleasant things to Bella because she gasped loudly and shouted my name, her voice taking on a higher pitch than before.

"Edward, please. I want you inside me, now!" Bella demanded as she tugged even harder on my hair.

Deciding that I had tortured us both long enough, I crawled up her body. When my face got close enough, Bella leaned up and captured my lips with hers. As she pulled away, she licked her lips with a speculative look on her face.

"You aren't switching teams on me are you, love?" I asked with a laugh.

Bella snickered. "No, I just never really knew what I tasted like before. It was strangely not unpleasant. I could taste it when you kissed me in the shower, but it is stronger now."

I smiled. "You taste perfect." I kissed her again as I settled myself between her legs. I could feel her heat on my stomach.

Suddenly I realized I didn't have any kind of protection with me. I hadn't expected this to happen so I hadn't bought anything. "Shit!" I jumped slightly as I began to roll away from Bella.

"What? Wait! What is it?" Bella asked confused and slightly panicked. She wrapped her arms around me to keep me from getting any farther away.

"I'm an idiot. I don't have any condoms with me," I sputtered angrily. I was so pissed at myself. How could I have been so stupid? _At this rate, she's never going to let me touch her again. I teased her so badly and to leave her hanging… and I am going to have blue balls for a year._

"No worries, Edward," Bella said soothingly. "I'm on the pill and I'm clean."

"Oh, thank God," I exclaimed. I'm clean too." I felt suddenly foolish.

Bella laughed and pulled me back towards her. "Then back to work mister!" she ordered.

"Yes ma'am!"

I was more than happy to give into her demands now.

"Feel what you do to me, love?" I asked softly, as I pressed my erection into her leg. I cupped her face as I brought my face down to kiss her again. I felt her tongue graze my lower lip causing me to moan and open my mouth to deepen the kiss. She tasted as sweet as I remembered her to be from the summer. It felt like home.

I kissed her neck again as my body yearned for release. _Soon,_ I thought to myself. I felt myself twitch as I approached her heated mound. My head, already wet with my arousal, gently brushed the curls protecting hers. We gasped at the same time from the intimate contact.

As I slowly entered her, I cradled her head in my hands. Our gaze never strayed from one another. I gently eased into her, giving her time to adjust to my girth. Bella's breath hitched when I was about halfway inside of her, her eyes wide. She felt amazing. Her body was so tight and wet.

"You okay, love?" I whispered, dragging the tip of my nose across her check.

Bella's eyes rolled back into her head. "Oooooh yeah. Just adjusting."

She arched her back and wiggled her hips slightly, causing me to slip in farther. I had to keep reminding myself that I wanted to worship her and not try to screw her senseless, at least not right at this moment. _Later. Definitely later._

I carefully pushed myself into her more. We gasped when I was completely sheathed inside of her. _Home._

"Good God, Bella, you feel absolutely incredible," I whispered hoarsely. I opened my eyes to look into hers, only partially aware that I had closed them when I had continued to enter her. Her deep brown pools stared back up at me, full of love and desire. I leaned down and kissed her again. I could not get enough of her soft lips, or really any part of her.

As I pulled away from her face, I started pulling out of her, relishing the feeling of our skin touching in the most personal and intimate of ways. Before I completely left her body, I stopped, leaving only the tip of my penis tucked inside her sweet body.

I looked down and was overcome at the sight. Sure, I had seen this before. No other woman, no video or fantasy, could ever be better than Bella. Bella was _It._

_It? Wow._ My mind blanked out for a moment as a whole lifetime with Bella presented itself before me.

I mentally shook my head to try to return to reality. _Worry about the future later. Enjoy this now._

I looked back at Bella, hoping she hadn't noticed that I had disappeared for a moment. She had. She didn't look upset, just curious and a little impatient.

"Where did you go?" she asked softly, tracing my jaw.

"Nowhere," I said. I wasn't ready to reveal those kinds of thoughts yet, and it definitely wasn't the right time. "I was just thinking about how beautiful and how perfect you are… and how much I love being here with you." _Okay, not a complete lie._

My answer seemed to satisfy her. She smiled softly at me and stroked my chest. "I'm glad you are here, Edward. Now show me how glad you are…"

This assertive side of Bella was new, but I was thoroughly enjoying it. And I was going to thoroughly enjoy showing my sweet Bella how happy I was.

I moved back into her, her wetness helping glide me in easily. Her hips rose up to meet mine at each thrust. As we developed our rhythm, our breathing became more ragged. The feel of Bella beneath me was simply glorious. She was soft in all the right places. Her breasts bounced as we moved. I reached down with one hand and caressed one eagerly. My other arm held my weight off of Bella.

Bella's skin started to shimmer with a faint sheen of sweat. It looked like she was glowing. I adjusted my position slightly as I continued to thrust into her so I could look at her better. I also needed to modulate my pace so I wouldn't go too soon. It was becoming harder and harder to hold back.

"Edward," Bella moaned loudly and then bit her lip. Her hands gripped my biceps tightly.

For what ever reason, the lip-biting was a turn on too. I think she could be doing laundry and I would consider it a turn on. I groaned as I pumped into her, thinking of her bent over a washing machine as I pounded into her from behind. Bella ran her hands up to wrap around my shoulders as she hooked a leg around my hip. The change in angle was dangerous. She was truly testing my lasting power.

"Sweet Jesus, Bella…" I muttered.

I felt my muscles begin to clench as my release approached. _No, not yet!_ I slowed down slightly so I could keep going. It was important to me that Bella was satisfied first. She started to grumble at my slower pace.

"Edward, make me come!" she ordered in a whisper, her breath like a breeze against my sweat-slick body.

I couldn't deny her so I picked the pace back up, thrusting into her with abandon as I reached a hand in between us to touch her. As soon as I touched her sensitive and hyper-heated skin, her back arched and she shouted in between panting breaths.

"Oh God, yes!"

"Edward, please, oh yes! Just like that!"

"Oh I'm gonna…"

I continued to rub her in tiny circles with my fingers as my thrusts became irregular as I approached my climax.

"Bella, love…" I cried hoarsely. "Oh… gaa…"

"Edward!" Bella yelled at the same time as her body found its release, pulling me over the edge with right behind her.

Speech became beyond my ability as I felt myself explode. It was like time ceased to exist. I looked down at the wondrous creature beneath me in amazement. When I returned to the planet Earth, it took me several seconds before I could speak coherently. I finally remembered what my name was and then I remembered hers.

_Bella. My Bella. My Love._

I leaned over her, still connected to her, careful not to crush her with my weight and feathered delicate kisses all over her face.

"Bella… that… that was…" There weren't any words possible to describe what we just shared.

Bella looked up at me and her face was shining. She was glowing despite the sweat-sheen.

"I know… it was unlike anything…"

She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close to her body.

"Bella, I'll crush you…" I warned.

"I'll let you know if your weight becomes too much, sweetheart," she reassured me.

Unconvinced but not wanting to disappoint her, I settled down in her arms. I was still inside her, soft at the moment, but enjoying our connection. I idly brushed some mussed hair out of her face as we gazed at each other in wonder. It wasn't every day that a man had the best sex of his life with the woman of his dreams.

Bella ran her hands up and down my sides. Her touch was relaxing to me now. If she kept that up, I was going to fall asleep. After several minutes of gentle and loving touches, I shifted slightly to the side. I was able to maneuver our bodies so we were lying on our sides facing each other.

I ran my fingers through her long hair slowly. It was still slightly damp. Bella hummed with pleasure. Her breathing began to slow and eventually I realized she fell asleep. I caressed the apple of her cheek with the back of my hand as I gently kissed her lips. Content, I settled down next to her and closed my eyes.

I woke up a few hours later as I felt a small hand gently stroke me. I cracked my eyelids open and spied Bella gazing down to where her hands were stirring my arousal. She was not aware I had awoken.

Deciding to tease her, I flexed a particular set of muscles in my lower torso and caused my penis to jump in her hands. Bella gasped, jumping slightly.

I chuckled in spite of myself, causing Bella to blush and glare at me at the same time.

"That wasn't very nice, Edward," Bella said sternly, except the corners of her mouth were twitching and her eyes were dancing.

I chuckled again. "What can I say, he likes you."

Bella smiled and brought her hands back to my body. "I like him too."

My eyes rolled back as she started stroking me harder. "God, Bella," I groaned.

She didn't respond but continued to work my shaft.

I kept my eyes closed as I got harder and harder. It was amazing how quickly my body responded to her. My stomach started to tighten, surprising me with how soon she was going to get me off. I had a better idea on how to get my release.

I reached over and pulled Bella to me, kissing her roughly. Her breasts crashed into my chest, the warmth of her skin burning into mine. My hand crept down to her juncture and I found her already damp and eager.

"Oh, love," I groaned into her mouth.

Bella's eyes flashed wickedly as she tried stroking me again. "Take me, Edward,"

I grinned and instantly knew what I wanted to do. I flipped Bella over on her stomach and she squealed in surprise.

"Get on your hands and knees Bella," I ordered. She quickly complied, gathering a few pillows to help brace her. I knelt behind her, stroking the skin of her back and butt.

"Good girl, "I purred. "And good girls get rewarded."

Bella's body shivered as my hands ran over her shoulder blades.

"Mmmm," I commented, "A good spot I will have to remember."

I squeezed Bella's butt and dusted her back with kisses. My tongue tasted her skin as I went along. Slowly, my fingers trailed across her hips and up to her chest. Her full breasts hung, just waiting to be held in my hands.

"How badly do you want it, Bella?" I asked softly, my voice rough and low.

"Badly, Edward," she whispered.

"Do you want it hard?" I crooned in her ear.

"Yes, very," she trembled.

"Good," I replied, leaning away so only my hands were in contact with her body. I ached to be inside of her again. Now was my time to ravish her. My hands grazed her soft butt again before they went back to her hips. Most of Bella's face was hidden by her hair as it hung down on both sides.

I gently ran the head of my erection against her, gathering her wetness like a bee harvesting pollen. My hand guided my aching length into her, relishing how incredibly tight she felt in this position. I groaned deep in my throat as I fully sheathed myself in her.

"Edward," Bella breathed.

I reached over to her breasts and stroked them, pinching her hardened nipples. My hands traveled upward to her head, running through her hair. I gathered a handful of her hair, wrapped it around my hand, and tugged gently.

Bella gasped again.

"Do you like that, love?" I whispered in her ear.

Bella shivered and shakily replied with a hoarse yes.

I started pumping into her, holding her hair in one hand while my other rested on her hip to help set our rhythm. She was so tight. I didn't think I would last long like this. Bella started to match my thrusts by pushing back into my hips. I was able to plunge that much deeper into her. The sound of our skin slapping against each other was music to my ears.

"Christ!" I uttered. I tugged on her hair harder as I pounded into her with increasing force.

"Edward!" Bella cried, her back arched with pleasure, making my angle of penetration that much deeper.

_Sweet mother of God…_

"You like it when I pound your sweet ass, don't you, my Bella?" I panted.

"Yes! Oh God, yes! Harder!"

Who was I to argue? I pulled her hair again and thrust into her with such force I thought I might poke a vital organ. Her screams of pleasure let me know all her organs were still intact. I felt my body begin to shudder as my release approached.

"Bella…," I gasped, "I'm so close….come with me."

She didn't respond with anything that could be considered words, just grunts and moans.

Bella shifted her weight onto one arm as her other arm drifted down to where we were joined. I felt her hands graze me as she touched herself. The moment she did, I felt her body clench. We both moaned at the same time. I thrust into her, pulling her hair, as she stroked her swollen flesh.

"That's right, baby," I crooned to her. "Come with me."

My body continued to tighten as I felt the familiar build increase. We were both panting as my rhythm became irregular. She was working herself furiously with her hand. I let go of her hair, planting both of my hands firmly on her hips. In one final thrust, I felt myself go, filling her. At the same time, her body trembled and clamped down on mine hard as she reached her release. We shouted each others names into the dark early morning then collapsed into a heap on the bed.

"What a great way to wake up," I commented once I was able to catch my breath.

"Definitely," Bella agreed.

We wiggled around on the bed, situating limbs into a more comfortable manner. Once we were finally settled, I was on my back with Bella snuggled into my side. Her head was resting on my shoulder and her arm was draped across my chest.

"I love you, Bella," I said softly, kissing the top of her head.

"I know," Bella replied, snuggling deeper into my shoulder.

I listened to her breathing slow into a regular pattern as she drifted off to sleep. My body was spent but my mind was going a mile a minute. The vision I had earlier was forefront in my mind. I knew I loved Bella and no other woman had ever touched my life like this, but when I made those declarations several months ago, what future did I really envision? Did I even think ahead that far? There was still the logistics of living on opposite ends of the country to deal with. I wanted to make it work; I knew we could make it work. But where did we go from here? Would we endlessly fly between our two homes when we had the spare time? I wanted Bella with me. Not just when I was in between movies or tours, but with me, forever.

My earlier glimpse into the future came back with greater detail. Bella and I traveling the world together. Bella and I standing at an alter exchanging vows. Bella and I moving in together. Bella and I walking hand in hand in a meadow with two small children running ahead of us.

I had never really thought about children before. I had always known I would eventually want to have some, but never really thought about when or with whom. What did Bella think about kids? Did she even want any of her own? Would she want to have mine? None of the women I had ever dated before Bella were ever _It._ Being in Hollywood, even for the short time I had been there, had jaded me making me wonder if I could ever find something like my parents had. Esme and Carlisle had such a great marriage and raised the three of us so well, and I wanted that too. Maybe now I had found it.

It wasn't the time to talk about this with Bella. We had just gotten things resolved with the whole Tanya mess. I didn't want to scare her by rushing into anything. Despite the fact that she was the only woman I wanted to be with for the rest of my life, I had no idea how we would make it work over the long-term. Other actors had spouses and families that didn't live in LA or even California. Why couldn't we make it work too? The last thing I wanted to do was make either one of us choose between our careers and each other. She loved her bar; I loved my music and acting.

We would make it work provided that she wanted the same things that I did. I didn't even know if she ever wanted kids or to be married to anyone, much less me.

We would have to discuss this eventually, soon, but for right now, I was going to enjoy my time with Bella and getting to know her family and friends. I had only met her father the night she was attacked at the bar. While Chief Swan was grateful for my assistance that night, I wanted him to have more pleasant situations to know me by.

My mind was at ease, at least for a little while. I drifted off to sleep curled up with Bella, dreaming about a future with her.

**A/N ****No more cockblocking! They were finally in the right place to be able to be with each other fully. I hope you thought it was worth the wait! :)**

**Thank you for reading! Please review! I post teasers in review replies (if you don't want a teaser, just let me know. I also post a second teaser in the thread on Twilighted. ****Come join us in the thread for BFTO:****www (dot) twilighted (dot) ****net/forum/viewtopic (dot) php?f=44&t=9524**


	2. Chapter 2: A Long Way Home

**A/N Thanks to my PTB betas HEAR and Sirenastarot. And as always, I don't own Twilight.**

**Here's the chapter in its entirity. Enjoy the lemony goodness! **

**Chapter Twenty-One: A Long Way Home**

**BPOV**

Edward's enthusiasm was infectious. I couldn't help but be excited for the show. I was excited for him, and I was excited to see him on the stage for the first time. Sure, he had played for me before, but this was different. I was nervous about the paparazzi being there, but I would deal with it when it happened. I had extra security in place, and Edward would be there with me. I was fairly confident that there wouldn't be anything there that would bother me.

I was just glad I was able to enjoy Thanksgiving without having to worry about the paparazzi. It would've been nice to know beforehand that photographers were in Vermilion, but I understood why Edward hadn't said anything right away.

The arrival of the paparazzi wasn't the only surprising thing I learned about on Thanksgiving. It was a little disconcerting to be face to face with someone who intimately knew Edward, as Leah did, but at least that part was in the past. Edward and Leah never had a romantic relationship; their one night together was just sex. If I was a little uncomfortable with Leah, I couldn't imagine what Edward's first thoughts were when I told him about Jacob. Not only had we been involved sexually, we'd actually been in a committed relationship. Now, he worked for me. Edward had taken the news much better than I would have in his position. Hell, look what had happened with the whole Tanya fiasco.

Leah seemed to be pretty cool, which made it somewhat easier to set aside her history with Edward. It was nice to be able to talk about Tanya with someone, besides Edward, who knew how crazy she was. Most importantly, for Charlie's sake, I was making an effort to get along with Leah. I could see how much he loved Sue, so I thought the least I could do was get along with someone who could end up being my step-sister.

And now, I had a surprise planned for Edward. The dress that I bought when I went shopping with Alice practically jumped out at me when I was digging through my closet. It was perfect for tonight, and here I thought I'd never have a reason to wear it. Edward had only seen me in a dress once before, so I couldn't wait to see his reaction. The cocktail dress was a far cry from the relatively innocent green sundress I wore on my birthday. While Edward showered, I quickly packed away the dress and some make-up so I could change at the bar. Edward was none the wiser when I left for work.

As I pulled into the entrance of the bar, I noticed that there were a few cars in the lot that I didn't recognize. I didn't see anyone inside any of the vehicles even though the bar wasn't open yet. and the bar wasn't open yet. _Weird._ I looked around quickly for anything odd looking in the trees or shrubs, like shaking branches or flashes of light. I didn't see anything, but that didn't mean that no one was there. The cars hadn't driven themselves to the bar.

In the bar, everything was normal. The ever reliable and dependable Angela and Jacob were already there setting up. The stage area was clear and ready for tonight. I wondered just what Edward was going to do. All he had with him from LA was his acoustic guitar. I had to admit that I really wanted to hear him play an electric guitar.

Just picturing Edward with an electric guitar strapped to his body was making me dizzy. There was definitely something sexual about a guitar, especially an electric, in the way a guitarist strokes the neck up and down as the strings are plucked and strummed by nimble fingers. Watching him play his guitar reminded me of how his fingers and hands could play me.

"Bella?"

Angela's voice pulled me out of my daydreams as I turned to address her.

"Hey, Ang."

She smiled broadly as we walked to my office. "Are you ready for tonight?"

"As ready as I am going to be. I think we are going to have a record crowd," I said quietly as I put my bag down on my desk. I didn't think I would be spending much time here.

"Me too. When are the guys from the police department supposed to be here?"

"About four, when happy hour starts. I don't expect much until then. We are known for our live music, but no one knows who it is yet. Hey, did you notice any strange cars in the parking lot when you got here?"

"Yeah, but no one was in them. Did you see anyone around?"

"No, which concerns me. We'll just have to keep an eye out. The paparazzi are already here. Edward spotted some yesterday when we were on our way to Charlie's for dinner."

"Oh, no! What happened?"

"Nothing, actually. Edward said he never saw anyone at Charlie's, just when we were driving through town. So they gotta be around here somewhere. They know Edward is here, courtesy of Lauren," I said with disgust. "So now they will seek me out and hope to catch some good shots of the two of us together."

"How do you feel about that?"

"I'm nervous, but its here in my bar on my territory. I am in control here. It's not like I'm being ambushed on the street corner."

"But that could happen," Angela pointed out.

"Yes, but I'd rather my first direct interaction with the paparazzi be on my turf. Let them come. Let them see how much Edward and I love each other. Most importantly, let _Tanya_ see everything that she doesn't have."

"Oooo, vengeful much?"

"I think it's deserved. She's done a lot to try to undermine our relationship. She needs this wakeup call. I'm not imaginary. I am real, and I'm here to stay."

"Wow, go Bella!" Angela enthused. "I like this strength in you."

I shrugged. "I've always been a fighter, Angela. You know this. Otherwise, I never would've tried to buy the bar. I would've let other's doubts bring me down."

"Even so, give 'em hell."

"Oh I will, Edward especially. He won't know what hit him when he sees what I'm wearing tonight."

"Do tell."

I handed Angela my bag. She quickly pulled out my blue BCBG Max Azaria dress and whistled.

"Holy shit, Bella. This dress is hot! I've never seen you wear anything like this before."

"Alice helped pick it out when I went shopping with her on Monday."

"Damn, was that really only Monday?" she asked in disbelief.

"I know, right? I can't believe that so much has changed since last weekend. Seems like a whole other lifetime," I mused.

"Life has definitely become more exciting since Edward came into your life."

"Truer words have not been said," I replied with a laugh. "Alright, let's get back out there and get this show started."

As soon as our "Open" neon sign was lit, people started coming in. Fridays were usually fairly busy, but since it was a holiday weekend, there were more people out and about. However, there was a sprinkling of people I had never seen before. As people came in, I tried to look for any sign that someone was a paparazzo but since I really didn't know what I was looking for, I wasn't very successful in making any solid determinations. I noticed that the majority of the people that came rushing in were harried looking married men who shuddered anytime anyone mentioned "Black Friday."

The phrase "Shop till you drop" was coined for the husbands.

Something else new for this particular Friday was my lack of anonymity. My identity as Edward's girlfriend was no longer a secret. By now, the Internet was rife with rumors and blogs and posts about Edward and me. There wasn't any photo confirmation of us together yet, but Lauren's "eye-witness" account was quoted and plastered all over the Internet. It didn't hurt her case that she had a picture of herself with the autographed copy of the tabloid magazine. And, somehow -and this somehow I believed was also named Lauren- the celebrity entertainment sites got copies of my high school year book pictures and a few pictures of me in college.

After tonight, I was sure they'd have photographic proof of our relationship. And as I told Angela, I really didn't mind as much as I thought I would. I knew it was coming and it was on my own turf. Let them come. I only hoped I would have this much courage if they found me on the street or in the middle of the grocery store.

Between the pictures and the fact that Lauren had the audacity to identify where I worked, the new people here knew who I was, and they knew who I was involved with. I was asked questions all afternoon long about Edward. At first it was cool, but now, it was getting annoying. I was expecting to be hassled by the paparazzi, not my patrons. Someone would want my picture and would ask a few questions about how we met and what he was really like in person. After about the twentieth person who asked me if he was a good kisser, I was ready to start busting heads together.

Angela could see I was quickly losing my patience as we got closer to the start of Happy Hour. She pulled me aside and told me to go have a breather in my office for a few. I was glad for the break. I was seriously about to blow up on a patron. I took the time to check the voicemail, which consisted of yet more requests for information and interviews. After deleting most of them, I tried to think of a good way to keep most of the questions from patrons at bay. Most people were polite, but not all. I wondered if some of the people at the bar were paps after all, just not packing video cameras, but mere camera phones.

Putting a sign up telling people not to ask about Edward was just too trite. My mind whirled with ways to politely tell paying customers to butt out of my personal life. A few pictures were one thing, intrusive questions were something else. Mentally telling myself that they weren't going to get the best of me, I walked back out to the bar. The crowd had increased slightly, but that was normal. Angela looked over at me and I nodded, letting her know I had reigned in my temper.

Ten minutes hadn't gone by before someone at the bar started asking me more questions than what type beer we had on tap.

"Hey there, you're Bella, right? The owner of this place?" a guy asked as I walked past him. I shot him a look while I gave the drinks I was holding to a patron. As I walked back toward him, I noticed that he had a small tape recorder cupped into his hand, like he was trying to hide it.

"Yes, I'm the owner of the Midnight Sun. Can I get you something to drink?" I placed a napkin down in front of him.

"Water will be fine, thanks. I wanted to ask you a few questions," he started.

I grimaced when he asked for water. "Well, as you can see, I'm pretty busy, so I don't have time to answer a bunch of questions."

The man was undeterred. He leaned forward, pushing the recorder he thought I couldn't see, closer to me. "It's just a few questions. It won't take long at all," he said with a smile - a smile I'm sure he thought was going to win me over. He was wrong.

I brought his glass of water over to him and _accidentally_ spilled it all over his hands. "Oh, I'm so sorry, sir. I have no idea what happened!" I gushed. I grabbed a few bar towels and started blotting the spill as the man's smile quickly turned to irritated anger.

"You dumb bitch," he hissed as he tried to keep as much of the water from his recorder as he could. Unfortunately for him, the water made his hands slick and the recorder slipped out of his hands, landing on the bar top with a wet clatter.

"Excuse me?" I spat. I immediately stopped trying to clean up the spill and threw the bar towels at his hands. He fumbled through them, trying to find his recorder in the wet, sopping mess. I scooped it up before he could find it.

"You heard me!" He started to get up but was kept in his stool by a large, russet-skinned hand.

"What I think we didn't hear was an apology," Jacob drawled, his tone friendly but his expression fierce.

"For what?" he sputtered.

I leaned over the bar and poked him in the chest with my index finger as I spoke. "You think you can come into my bar and expect me to drop everything so you can ask a few questions, and then try to record me secretly? I don't think so." I tossed the ruined tape recorder at him. "Jacob, see him out."

"Gladly," he said with pleasure. He not so gently picked up the man by the back of his shirt and led him towards the door.

A few of the nearby patrons clapped and cheered as the unwelcome guest was seen to the door. I shook my head and finished cleaning up the mess. It felt good to tell the man off. It took the power that he thought he had from him. This was my bar, my place. No one was going to make me do something I didn't want to do here.

Shortly after Jacob took the trash out, Edward texted me that he was here and wasn't alone. I was quite curious about who he had brought with him. He hadn't said anything about bringing anyone to play with him. I certainly didn't have a problem with it.

My first glimpse of Edward came a few minutes later as he wheeled in a stack of speakers. He had his very recognizable bronze hair under a ball cap. It was amazing how something as minor as a baseball cap could help hide his identity. If someone looked at him directly, he could be recognized, but the hat definitely helped him blend in. The guys came in after Edward, each laden with equipment. They all appeared to be around his age. I caught Jessica's gaze from across the room, her face bright with excitement.

It was kind of exciting to watch Edward like this. This was my first real glimpse of him as Edward Cullen the performer. He was wearing the same clothes that he'd left the house in, but something about him looked different. There was a lightness to his step that I had never seen before.

I caught his eye a few times and couldn't fight the huge smile that bloomed the moment our eyes met. To a casual observer, it would only look like two strangers flirting with one another. Nothing we had done thus far revealed the depth of our relationship. It was kind of like going somewhere with your significant other, pretending that you didn't know one another and trying to pick one another up. I wasn't the only person who was admiring Edward and his band mates. Many of the women in the bar openly ogled the quartet, whispering when one of the guys bent over. I had to admit, it _was_ a mighty fine view.

I didn't think anyone recognized Edward yet, but it was only a matter of time. A few people looked back and forth between Edward and I, perhaps due to the looks we were sharing between us. Or, perhaps they recognized Edward after all. The people didn't look familiar, and my gut was telling me that they were either working for some media company or were members of the paparazzi. I made a mental note to keep an eye on them. As long as they behaved themselves, they were welcome to stick around. The moment that they started acting like the jerk from earlier, they'd be seeing the door.

The set up that Edward and his friends were putting together was impressive. It was a far cry from the single person acoustic set I was expecting. One of the guys was putting together a very well made drum kit, especially when compared to some of the local groups that played around the area. He was wearing a cowboy hat, which almost slipped off a few times as he adjusted the tension on one of the drum heads. One of the other guys, who had short brown hair and a goatee, was setting up the electronics on the side of the stage. The last guy was tall and blond, and worked quietly tuning up the guitars. Edward was running around the stage plugging in cables and taping set lists to the floor. If I hadn't already known that Edward and his friends weren't a regular band, I wouldn't have been able to tell. They worked together like a well-oiled machine. There was some level of familiarity, especially between Edward and the blond. I wondered where Edward knew them from but figured he'd tell me at some point tonight.

Eventually, my attention was diverted by drink requests, and I quickly returned to work. A few more people asked about my relationship, but I did a lot better this time around. Having told off that nosy jerk gave me the courage and confidence to keep my head up. If someone asked a personal question and I didn't want to answer it, I rebuffed them or just ignored them. People slowly got the hint and the questions lessened, but the camera flashes didn't. Patrons were taking numerous photos of me and the bar. An increasing number of people congregated around the stage, taking pictures of the operations.

I turned away to fill more drink orders and when I looked back, Edward and his friends were standing at the bar. Edward looked so happy. He was beaming as he talked, leaning against the bar. I grabbed a handful of cocktail napkins and greeted the group. Edward's response, while simple, was rather familiar and had the same affect as peeing on my leg. I didn't mind so much, especially based on how one of the guys was looking at me. I got their drink orders and was introduced to everyone. It was great to finally meet the Garrett that I had heard so much about from Edward. I walked over to Edward and settled happily into his side. It felt wonderful to feel Edward's arms around me, even if it had only been a few hours since I last felt his touch.

We chatted for a few minutes and I got a feel for Edward's friends. It was evident that they were all from the south based on their twangs. I instantly liked Garrett and Rhys. Collin seemed okay. He laid off the undressing-with-the-eyes bit, for which I was quite thankful. It was nice to know that other men found me attractive, but his gaze was a little much for me. Later, after I had gone back to work behind the bar, I realized I liked Rhys even more when I saw him back Edward up when Collin tried to talk Edward into doing shots with them. I was on the other side of the bar, so I couldn't hear everything that was said, but I was proud of Edward for sticking to his guns.

The other bartender had things under control so I slipped away to my office to change. Pulling the dress out of my bag, I ran my hands gently across the soft fabric. It was luxurious and smooth, the silk sliding gently across my skin. I had always been a bit of a tomboy so wearing dresses, especially ones as small and sexy as this one, was a rare occurrence. I felt a little exposed but I couldn't wait to see Edward's reaction. I knew it would be worth the money I spent. As I finished up the final touches of my make-up and hair, I heard the boys tuning up on stage. I ran a brush through my hair one final time before I stepped out onto the floor of the bar.

Right as I was approaching the bar, Edward introduced himself Johnny Cash style. The moment his name left his lips, a gasp went through the crowd. Cell phones whipped out all across the bar as people texted their friends with the news.

_It's going to get crazy around here now._

I looked up at the stage and caught Edward looking me up and down with a hungry gaze. My smile turned to a smug smirk as his eyes lingered on my chest and my legs. _Oh yes, this dress was a great idea._ Edward nodded his head quickly and said one last thing to the crowd around the stage before beginning the show.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Edward was on fire on the stage. His velvety voice took on new dimensions as he sang and played his guitar. Several times, I saw him close his eyes as he got into the music. Energy surrounded him and poured into the bar. Everyone could feel it. This was such a far cry from the broken man I'd met months ago.

People continued to flood into the Midnight Sun; so much so that Jacob had to keep people out before we violated our occupancy limit. Despite all of that, all I could see was Edward. His energy was like a magnet. I couldn't help but watch him. Every time he stroked his guitar, I thought about how his hands felt on me. Then I would catch myself running my hands across the fabric of my dress, imagining him touching me. Work would occasionally distract me from watching him. This was probably a good thing. If I had no distraction from Edward, I probably would have jumped him on the stage and really given the people a show.

Before I knew it, the guys were taking a break, and I was given a momentary reprieve from my lusting over Edward. Edward disappeared into the crowd. Despite his height, I could not find him in the mass of people. I almost jumped out of my skin when I felt arms wrapping around me from behind, but Edward's familiar scent calmed me instantly. Feeling his lips on my bare shoulders put my brain back in the gutter. His name floated from my lips like a prayer as I turned in his arms. I was incredibly happy being held by him but also incredibly nervous about the number of witnesses with camera phones around us.

Edward brushed aside my worries about the paparazzi and complimented me on my dress. I blushed as I always did, but his comments also made me feel incredibly sexy. He pulled me closer to him and whispered in my ear, causing me to shiver.

"As much as I love seeing you in it, I can't wait to see you out of it."

Before I could even come up with an appropriate response outside of a gasp, he had my face in his hands and was kissing me. This wasn't the chaste peck from before, but something more, a promise of what was to come later. As much as I loved hearing and watching Edward play on stage, now I couldn't wait until it was over. I heard people whispering around us as he kissed me and cameras flashing, but I didn't care. We didn't care. We were already considered _out_ to the general public. Now that they had proof of our relationship, maybe they would let up a little. I could hope anyway.

Edward pulled away from me before we became obscene. There were lingering glances in our direction, but the people nearest to us were trying to give us privacy. Strangely enough, despite my fear of becoming paparazzi fodder, I didn't care about the stares and the whispers and the cameras. Being in my place gave me a certain amount of control that I was sure was why I felt so at ease. A part of me feared what would happen outside of the bar. I tried not to think about it too much.

Edward made his way back up to the stage, with Jacob escorting him, after we quickly mouthed 'I love yous' to one another. I watched in amazement as people tried to reach out and touch him. People would never act like this with a complete stranger, but because he was well known, people assumed that they knew him and felt like they could intrude on his personal space. It pissed me off a little bit, but Edward seemed to be unfazed by it all. I laughed to myself when I saw several of the female fans in the audience try to entice him with their cleavage. He walked by them like they weren't even there.

Everyone quieted down as Edward and his band mates returned to the stage. There was still a good amount of cheering, but people were eager to hear the rest of the concert. Jessica was one of the people right up front, just as she was for the first part of the show. She was still technically on the clock, but I'd given her a pass since this concert was for her. She looked like she was having the time of her life. Jessica never would have gotten as close to the stage at the Odeon as she was here.

Edward started out the second half of the concert by introducing the band. Instead of just being four separate individuals thrown together for this concert, they actually looked like a band, a cohesive unit that had all appearances of having played together for some time. I remembered Edward telling me that he and Garret used to play together, but I knew it had been some time since they'd seen one another. Was it possible that they'd found that connection again so soon? If tonight was any indication, it was.

Their first song of the second set was familiar. I wasn't expecting to hear them do a cover of _Brother,_ but it sounded great. Edward was a master on the guitar and started out on the guitar intro with ease. It was something awesome to watch, to see him lose himself in the music. Although there were three other people on stage with him, I only saw Edward. When he sang, he cradled the microphone like it was a treasured gift. The lyrics seemed to be perfect for where he was in his life at this moment.

As the song ended, the bar burst into applause and cheers. Clearly, the band's cover was a hit. They switched gears after that and played some of Edward's acoustic music. This was the part of Edward I was more familiar with seeing. Granted, it was still different with him on stage than just him playing on my deck, but it was still familiar. He poured his heart and soul into his performance. The audience ate it up, and the crowd started singing along with him. Once he realized what was happening, I swore I saw his eyes get watery. I knew I had tears in my eyes when he looked at me with a soft, but very happy, smile on his face.

The band eventually moved back to Edward's rock standards. The crowd had no problems with that whatsoever and continued to cheer them on as they played. I was surprised when Edward introduced their final song as a new one. I didn't realize he had written anything new during the week. With the craziness of this past week, between our reunion on Monday and the holiday, it didn't seem like much time to come up with anything.

The moment the song started, I was dumbstruck. The music was incredibly powerful and intense. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the bar, staring at Edward as he stroked down the neck of the guitar. Instantly my mind traveled back to Monday night and what his hands did to me. Once again, I could not wait for the concert to over. He looked over at me, and his eyes were dark and dangerous. Only a small amount of self-control kept me from rushing up on stage and jumping him. The combination of him and the song were incredibly arousing. I found my body reacting to the music and Edward's body language.

He prowled around the stage like a caged animal. His hands were on fire as they flew across the guitar, making the instrument scream with pleasure. His solo was amazing. I had never seen a guitarist's fingers move that fast. I could not keep my eyes off of him. He approached the microphone with an animalistic intensity and stared at me as he sang.

_And I want you now  
I want you now  
I feel my heart implode  
And I'm breaking out  
Escaping now  
Feeling my faith erode_

That said it all. Before I knew what was happening, Edward threw his guitar at Garrett and stormed off the stage like a man possessed. The energy that had been building in the room between Edward and I was making my nerves stand on end. I was literally quivering from the adrenaline running rampant through my body. As soon as Edward called my name, I finally let go of my restraint and threw myself at him.

I'd never been this forward with him before, especially not in public. My lips latched onto his as my hands twisted into his hair, sweaty from the stage. Everyone around us was cheering, and I didn't have the decency to be embarrassed.

"Office," I growled at Edward, his lips grazing mine. "Now."

He did not hesitate and quickly turned us towards my office and the hopes of some shred of privacy. I walked as quickly as I was able to in the heels I was wearing. These kinds of shoes just were not meant for power walking.

Once we passed the threshold of my office, Edward's hands were all over me, touching my arms, my back, running across my stomach and down my sides. My nerves danced with anticipation. Before anyone could get a free show, I flung the door shut and locked it. The noise from the bar became instantly muffled, barely loud enough to cover the noise we were making. Edward pulled my back against his chest as he bent his head down to kiss my shoulder and the crook of my neck. His warm, inviting scent that was all Edward surrounded me. I tilted my neck to the side as his lips continued a trail up the side of my neck to my ear. As soon as his lips touched the flesh of my ear, I moaned.

"Sweet Jesus, Edward," I whispered.

Edward hummed as his hands traveled upward and massaged my breasts. I reached behind me and threaded my hands in his hair once again. His hair was still a little damp with sweat from the bright lights of the stage, but I didn't' care.

"Mmm, no bra," he purred in my ear. "I like dresses like this."

One hand dipped into the top of my dress and gently cupped my breast while his other hand continued to massage my other breast over the fabric. My breath was coming in short gasps as his hands played their own song on my flesh. The electric feeling I always felt when we touched was in full force. Every touch from him burned, but it was a delicious sensation. I pressed my back into him, pushing my butt into his rather prominent erection, and dragged my nails across his scalp. He groaned and his grip on me tightened, making me shudder.

It felt like the pressure in the room was increasing. All I knew was that I couldn't get enough of this man. His touch set me on fire, a spiraling inferno of love and desire and lust. His hands started to drift southward, slowly cinching up my dress, revealing my upper thighs a little bit at a time. Before he could get my dress completely up around my waist, I whirled in his arms and roughly pushed Edward against the far wall of my small office.

Edward's eyes nearly popped out of his head in surprise before his face split into a slow, sexy smile. Before he could do anything further, I attacked him. My lips crushed against his, barely letting him react and start to kiss me back before I deepened the kiss and roughly fisted my hands in his hair. There was still a lingering taste of beer and something uniquely Edward. He wrapped his arms around me tightly, one hand spanning my back while the other cradled the back of my head as he returned my passion with vigor.

Music came through the walls again as Garrett and the other guys kept playing without Edward. "Do you need to get out there?" I panted as Edward peppered my shoulders and collarbone with his soft lips, searing my skin.

"No," he uttered roughly. "Our set was done. They are just playing for the hell of it."

"Good."

My hands flew down to the waistband of his jeans and made quick work of his belt, button, and zipper.

Edward chuckled again over my enthusiasm. "Eager, are we?"

I raised an eyebrow at him as I pushed his pants and boxers down around his ankles, freeing his erection. Before I could stand up, Edward picked me up roughly and turned, pinning me against the wall. My breath hitched as the skin of my back came into contact with the cool surface of the wall.

"Good God, you are so beautiful, Bella," he whispered as he leaned into me, pushing his hardness into my belly. The barrier between his hot flesh and my skin was minimal. The silk of my dress did not do much to block the heat of his body.

I wrapped my arms around his neck as I tried to lift myself up a bit. Edward caught on and raised me up a little, allowing me to wrap my legs around his waist and effectively push my dress completely up to my hips. Lace was an even thinner barrier between Edward and me. He groaned as he felt the dampness of my arousal on his skin.

"I love you, Edward," I whispered urgently as I tightened my legs around his waist, bringing him that much closer to my body. My hands clasped behind his head and played with the hairs at the nape of his neck.

"I love you too, Bella, so fucking much."

Edward buried his head at my neck as he reached down between us and pushed his fingers in between the lace of my panties and my slick skin. "Jesus, Bella," he muttered as his fingers drifted further to stroke the sensitive skin. "You are so incredibly wet."

I blushed at his words but was thrilled at them at the same time. Our physical relationship was still new enough that hearing things like that excited me even though they warred with my natural shyness. Whenever Edward was involved, my shyness took a backseat to Bold Bella. She was not disappointing tonight as she took control.

"It's all because of you, Edward," I whispered throatily as my legs clenched when he made another pass across my skin. "It's never been like this with anyone before."

Edward groaned and roughly pushed the tiny strip of lace to the side before plunging a finger deep inside while keeping his thumb rubbing on the outside. My body shuddered in response, my pleasure spiraling further outward until I was on the brink of exploding.

"Ah, Edward," I moaned loudly.

"Shhh, baby. We gotta be quiet. There are probably people outside trying to record this," Edward whispered to me urgently as he replaced his fingers with his rock hard penis. I gasped as I felt him fill me completely. He groaned quietly and rested his forehead on mine for a moment to collect himself.

"Do you have any idea what you do to me? Especially when you are dressed like this?" he murmured, his breath brushing across my face like a caress.

I whimpered from his lack of movement and wiggled my hips slightly to spur him on. "Do you have any idea what you do to me when you are on stage?" I countered in a hoarse whisper. "Especially when I see all the women in the crowd that wish that they could be with you? Especially when I know that I'm that person, and that you want me and only me?"

Edward trembled underneath me as he sucked in a breath. "Bella…," he moaned as he cupped my face in his hands, one of which was still damp from my arousal. He closed his eyes as he breathed heavily.

"Edward, please," I begged, and shifted my hips again. When we first walked in my office I thought he was going to rip my clothes off and do me right on the floor. I knew he wanted this just as badly as I did, but now he seemed to hesitate. I could feel his desire inside of me, a tangible physical sign of his want, but something behind those beautiful green eyes was holding him back.

My pleading must've gotten through to him. His eyes snapped open and held mine like a vise, holding me still with their dark and hungry depths. "Kiss me," he growled, his voice deeper than I expected.

I didn't say a word but pulled his face towards mine, locking my arms behind his neck. I did not kiss him gently or sweetly, but hungrily and desperately. My tongue tangled with his as his hands roamed up and down my sides. As we broke away to breathe before either one of us passed out, Edward finally began moving inside of me. He cradled my head with one of his hands, using the other to brace himself against the wall. He thrust inside of me roughly, grunting with exertion.

The position made it hard for me to participate, but I didn't care. My hands fisted in his hair as he plunged deep inside of me. The building tension inside of me crept up, seeking release as every nerve of my body stood on end. I tried hard to keep my voice down and several times had to bite my lip to keep myself from crying out loud in pleasure. Edward's gaze never left my face, and I finally saw whatever was bothering him fall away. The only thing that was left was his love and passion for me, hungry and urgent.

"God, yeees…" I moaned as quietly as I could. I was on the brink of my release now that his brain was back in the game. Edward continued to pound into me relentlessly, panting with each push into me. The room became permeated with the sweet smell of sex and it served only to spur me on. I untangled one hand from Edward's hair and slid it down to where our bodies were joined. Quickly, timing it with his frantic thrusts, I touched myself and felt myself explode. My body shuddered, legs clenching around Edward's waist, and let out a gust of breath.

"So close," he uttered as his movements became erratic. He thrust into me one final time before stiffening and muttering a quiet final "Fuck me."

I couldn't help but laugh at his statement, my hearty amusement breaking the relative silence of the room. He cocked an eyebrow at me as I continued to chuckle at him.

"Normally, a man would be offended if the lady he was with started laughing during sex."

"Nothing about us is normal, Edward," I countered, still snickering.

"What was so funny about what I said?" he asked, becoming amused himself.

"I don't know. It just was."

Edward _humph_ed but didn't say anything further. He carefully lifted me off of him as I detangled my legs from around his waist. As I had become accustomed to, I felt a bit of a loss when his body was no longer touching mine.

My knees felt a little wobbly as my feet finally touched the ground. Wearing heels certainly didn't help my stability. I balanced carefully while I waited for my knees to solidify. Edward quickly pulled his boxers and jeans back up. Despite my hopes of being graceful for once in my life, I stumbled as I tried to walk around Edward as he was fiddling with his belt buckle. My head was heading straight for the corner of my desk. I raised my arms up to try to protect my face and break my fall, cringing the entire way, already knowing this wasn't going to be pretty. Thankfully, Edward was more coordinated than I was, and quickly caught me by my hips before my desk gave me a plastic surgery bill.

"Whoa, there, Grace," he teased as he pulled me towards him.

The position wasn't lost on me once I realized I wasn't going to face plant into the desk. He held me by my hips while I was still slightly bent over, right in front of my desk. Still feeling like we had some energy to work off, I wiggled my hips into his crotch. Edward chuckled in response, tightening his grip on my hips.

"You _are_ eager tonight, aren't you, Miss Swan?" he asked.

"Maybe," I said coyly, looking up at him through my lashes.

He groaned again as he shook his head. "Brace yourself, my little vixen," he ordered as he gently pushed me towards my desk.

Grinning hugely, I shoved the chair out of the way and pushed various papers and paraphernalia off to the side of the desk. Once I had a decent-sized area cleared off, I hopped up on the edge and sat primly, crossing my ankles. I batted my eyelashes at Edward and giggled as he stalked towards me while he pushed his pants down far enough to expose his hardening length. He stroked himself a few times, closing his eyes, and smiling lazily.

"When did you get so insatiable?" he asked, reaching towards me and pulling my legs apart. He opened his eyes and hungrily looked me over.

"When you came into my life."

Edward slowly stepped in between my legs and dragged his fingers up my legs, under the hem of my dress to the waistband of my panties.

"I think these need to go this time," he commented mildly, pulling them down slowly and stepping out from between my legs in the process. He tossed them behind him, instantly forgotten. Edward quickly returned to his previous position with his erection in his hand, standing proud between his fingers.

I leaned back on my arms and smirked at him. "I think you are just as insatiable as I am, Mr. Cullen."

"Only because it's you," he said huskily, freeing his erection from his hand and running his hands along my legs again. "Your legs are so smooth and soft."

Edward tugged me closer to the edge of the desk and braced one of my legs up on his shoulder. I hooked the other around his hip to help steady myself. He started stroking himself again, running the head of his erection up and down the sensitive skin of my folds.

I hissed at the intimate contact, wanting so much more. I pulled Edward a little closer with the leg I had around his hip as I slipped a hand into my dress and teased my nipples.

"Sweet Jesus, Bella," Edward muttered as he stared at my hand. "I love watching you touch yourself."

"You can see all you want later, Edward. Now, I want you inside of me." I ordered hoarsely.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied as he pushed his erection deeply inside of me. The angle was exquisite. Having my leg on his chest and shoulder limited my movement like being pinned against the wall had, but the depth of penetration could not be beat.

"Oh my God, Edward," I moaned as he pulled out almost completely before entering me again.

He grunted as he buried himself to the hilt inside of me. "Amazing…."

Words were beyond us after that. With every push Edward made, I pulled him into me with the leg I had wrapped around his hip. His motions were not soft and if my desk wasn't as heavy and stable as it was, the whole bar would hear the back of the desk slamming into the wall. I was glad I had thrown down the money for a solid oak desk and not the cheap pressboard ones that were so popular in most furniture stores.

I felt my legs start to quiver as Edward's fast pace and deep strokes were bringing me quickly to another orgasm. This time, I didn't need to help out. Edward's breathes came in faster and faster, his pace more frenetic.

"Come on, Edward," I urged. "I am so close."

"Gah… love… Bella," he grunted.

He thrust again as his body shuddered and released inside of me. I came almost immediately afterward, my body trembling and covered in a thin sheen of sweat. Edward dropped my leg from his shoulder gently and collapsed against me, breathing hard.

"Is it always going to be like this?" he gasped.

"God, I hope so," I replied, panting.

I jumped, almost knocking my forehead into Edward's jaw when someone knocked softly on my office door.

"What the hell," I muttered.

I slid off the desk and tried to straighten my dress while Edward pulled his pants up and fastened his buckle. His shirt looked rumpled, but passable. My dress was horribly wrinkled, and my hair was a haystack from being pressed against the wall.

"Shit, look at me," I fussed.

Edward smiled down at me affectionately. "You look like you just had sex in your office," he teased quietly. Garrett, Collin, and Rhys could still be heard faintly in the background.

I glared at him as looked around the room for my panties. The person at the door knocked again, a little louder this time, reminding us that someone was waiting. I huffed and scooped up my discarded underwear.

"Can you find out who is there? I am going to step into the bathroom and try to clean up a bit." I grabbed the bag I had brought with me earlier in the day and gave Edward a quick peck on the lips.

"Sure, love."

I closed the door to the small bathroom just as Edward was opening the door to the office. I caught a glimpse of Jake's face before the door was completely shut. He looked amused, but concerned. As I cleaned up and changed into my other clothes, I could hear their voices, but I was unable to make out specific words. I really wanted to take a shower, but that would have to wait until we got home. Freshening the important parts while I had the chance would be sufficient. Taking one last look at myself in the mirror with my hair fixed and a change of clothes, I could barely tell that Edward and I had just christened my office.

When I stepped out, Jake was still in the room, but it looked like the conversation was just wrapping up. "Hey, Jake," I greeted warmly, even though I had seen him throughout the night.

"Hey, B," he replied with a smirk. He knew exactly what we were up to in here. "I'll be right outside when you guys are ready to head out." He nodded briefly to Edward and walked out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

"What's going on?" I asked, setting my bag on my desk.

Edward smiled at me softly as he ran his hands through his hair a little rougher than normal. There was a tightness around his eyes as well that concerned me.

"There were some overzealous paps in the audience who tried to follow us in here and record us. Jake stood guard by the door to keep anyone from interrupting us."

"Well, that's good. I'm glad Jake was able to- Wait, if he stood by the door than he heard everything!" My face blossomed red in embarrassment. The last thing I was sure Jake wanted to overhear was Edward and I having sex.

Edward laughed as he pulled me into his arms. "Nah, he didn't hear anything. He had ear plugs in while he stood watch. He guessed what we'd be doing based on how we left the bar floor, so he came prepared."

"Wow. I owe him," I murmured, winding my arms around his neck.

"He's a good guy," Edward commented.

"Yeah, he is. So what's he doing now?"

"He's waiting for us. He wants to make sure we won't get ambushed on the way back to the bar."

I nodded while I dug through my bag for my cell phone. I had no idea what time it was or how long we had been back in my office. When I finally found it, I was surprised at how early it was.

"It's not even one in the morning yet."

"I know," Edward said as he rubbed my back. "We've only been back here for about twenty minutes."

I stared at him. "We did all of that in twenty minutes?"

He chuckled with a satisfied grin on his face. "We sure did."

"Wow." I was impressed with not only my stamina, but his.

"Yeah," he agreed as his grin grew bigger.

"Okay, time to face the music," I said, rounding my shoulders and preparing for the onslaught.

When I opened the office door, the noise from the bar was the first thing to hit us. Jake stood about three feet in front of the door, his back facing us. When I shut the door, Jake nodded and walked towards the bar. Edward and I quickly followed behind with our hands clasped. The moment we passed the threshold to the bar floor, I was blinded by a series of bright camera flashes, one right after another. People were yelling, calling my name and Edward's. Jake tried to block anyone from getting too close, hollering for the police back-up to come and help.

I cowered next to Edward, clinging to him desperately as he stood stiffly beside me. The camera flashes effectively blinded me so I couldn't see anything or anyone. He had done his best to shield his eyes, but I didn't think he was much better off than I was. Thankfully, the police back-up came quickly and escorted the paparazzi out the door before they could do any more damage.

As suddenly as the barrage started, it ended. I blinked a few times as my vision finally cleared. A few people looked over at us sympathetically but most were still listening to Garrett and the boys play on stage. The experience was surprising, but tolerable. I wasn't so foolish as to assume that this was the worst it could be, although I could always hope. I started to move towards the bar but stopped when I noticed Edward wasn't moving with me.

"Baby, come on."

He stood in the same spot he was in when the ambush started, his shoulders stiff, his brow set, and his gaze on the floor.

"What is it, sweetheart?" I asked quietly, walking back toward his unmovable form.

"I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop," he whispered, still not looking at me.

I reached out and pushed his chin up with the tip of my finger so I could look him in the eye. "What other shoe?"

"When you realize how insane it is to have to deal with the paparazzi and that you don't want to deal with it anymore and leave me," Edward whispered in the same soft but strained voice.

"Edward, you silly man, I am not going anywhere. Yes, it was startling, and I'm sure the next few days will be interesting with all the stories that are going to be out, but it's okay."

He looked at me in disbelief. "How can you think this is okay?"

"Because now we are real. Now I am real. The rumors before of me being your fake made-up girlfriend have effectively been nullified. With the number of times we've kissed one another in full view of everyone, there is no doubt that I am real, and our relationship is not fake."

"But, it's so intrusive," he argued.

"Yes, it is, but they are at my bar where I get to call the shots. It'll be okay."

"What about later, when you aren't at the bar?" he asked quietly, the full extent of his fear weighing heavily in his words. I realized then that he truly thought I would up and leave him one day because of the paparazzi.

"I can't promise you that it won't bother me, Edward, because it probably will. But I can promise you that I am not going anywhere. We are together. We'll face it together, even when we are apart."

He looked at me dubiously.

"Edward, you have to believe me; otherwise there is no chance for us if you are constantly expecting me to leave."

He closed his eyes and his shoulders dropped in defeat. "I know, it's just so…" he trailed off without finishing his thoughts.

"I know, Edward. I am only beginning to get a glimpse of what you have had to deal with for years. Now, though, we have each other. We'll help one another and protect one another."

I tried tugging on his hand again and finally he started to follow me out to the bar. I breathed a sigh of relief and hoped that I won't have to eat my words one day.

**A/N Thanks for your patience! I promise, I will be adhering to my new update schedule. The next chapter will be up on or about August 13****th****. I have already started it. **

**As always, teasers for the next chapter will be given with reviews. I also post a second teaser in the thread on Twilighted. Come join us in the thread for BFTO: www(dot)twilighted(dot)net/forum/viewtopic(dot)php?f=44&t=9524 (replace the 'dot' with .)**

**I have also started writing weekly picture prompts on a blog with some other great authors here in ficdom. If you want to read them, you can find them off of my FF profile or stop at the blog to see the other submissions as well: picprompt(dot)blogspot(dot)com**


	3. Chapter 22 Unedited

**A/N Here is the full chapter with the lemon intact. It wasn't graphic in the traditional sense but I still felt it needed to be removed to adhere to the T rating of the main fic.**

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Leavin' on a Jet Plane**

**BPOV**

The rest of the night went by fairly smoothly. After Edward got over his fear of the paps, he went back into my office to clean up. As much as I liked to see him tousled-looking after being with me, who really wanted to walk around in the clothes that they just shagged somebody in without at least washing up first?

After we headed out of my office, Garret and his boys played for a little bit longer to an adoring crowd. The patrons of the bar didn't fawn over them quite like they had for Edward, but it was a close second. When everyone was sitting at the bar before last call, a throng of women surrounded Garrett, Collin, and Rhys. Garrett remained a little aloof from all the feminine attention, but Collin and Rhys ate it up. Edward made a comment to me at one point about Garrett having someone back home.

The crowd in the bar stayed longer than usual for a Friday night. I actually had to encourage people to head out to other places after last call. The adage 'you don't have to go home but you can't stay here' applied tonight. Edward helped Garrett and the guys pack up their equipment and stow it in their van out back. Before they left, Edward spoke with Garrett briefly, making arrangements for the equipment that Edward rented from Guitar Center. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with Edward when he told me about his deal with Guitar Center.

Throughout the night, Jessica hovered around Edward as a way of saying thanks for the concert. As soon as his beer was empty, she had another cold one in its place. Much to Edward's visible relief, she didn't hang on him like a lost puppy, but merely made sure he was well taken care of. Thankfully, there wasn't much time between the end of his concert and the bar's closing for him to drink much. If he had drank much more I would have become concerned, but he was still quite mindful of what he was drinking and how much. He did not want to go down the same road he'd been on around the time we'd met that had brought him so low.

The last of the stragglers made their way out and I happily locked the front door and flicked off the neon 'open' sign. I sagged against the wall, exhausted. Today had been a long but very good day. My feet hurt and I really wanted to take a shower. Edward must've felt the same, as he came and slouched against the wall next to me.

"Ready to go?" he asked softly, running his fingers across my hand.

"Yeah, I just needed to rest a moment. It's been a crazy day."

"It has been," he agreed.

We stayed there for several minutes, just enjoying each other's company in the quiet of the late evening. With a resigned sigh, I pushed off the wall and walked to the bar to finish cleaning up for the night. Edward followed behind me quietly, lost in his thoughts.

It didn't take very long for the cleanup to be finished. Despite the record crowd, the bar didn't get very messy. As I drained the coolers and wiped surfaces down, Angela stood off to the side and reconciled the cash and credit card receipts for deposit. Edward put the chairs up on the tables and swept the floor while Jacob spoke quietly to the off-duty police officers as they waited to escort everyone to their vehicles. As much as I thought I could handle the paparazzi around here, I was glad for the extra police presence.

Finally we were all ready and gathered up our things to leave. The moment we walked outside, cameras began to flash and people were yelling. Edward instantly wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close to protect me from them. Jacob started yelling back at the photographers while trying to shield Angela. The police escort was also yelling and tried to block any potential shots. It appeared that the paps had been hiding in some of the bushes, waiting for the right moment to get the perfect angle. Angela didn't say anything as the commotion went on; she just stared wide-eyed at the chaos surrounding us.

"I want them off my property!" I yelled angrily as I blinked back furious tears.

The cops nodded and quickly approached the small group of photographs as they continued to yell at them, advising them to leave or get arrested. Most of the photographers took the hint and took off. A few more rabid paps tried to give the cops the run around, moving evasively about the parking lot while continuing to take pictures of us. Jake took off with the cops to try to help them round up the paparazzi.

By this time, Edward had escorted me to my truck with Angela in tow. Angela's eyes were huge as she watched Jake and the cops. Her face was pale and her hands shook slightly. I wiggled out of Edward's grasp to touch Angela's arm.

"Ang, are you okay?"

Angela continued to stare out into the parking lot, like she didn't hear me. I gently shook her arm as I called her name again. She blinked a few times before turning to focus on Edward and me.

"This is what you have to go through all the time?" Angela asked Edward, her voice shaking.

Edward nodded solemnly.

"How do you deal with this?" she whispered.

He shrugged and looked down at me briefly before answering. "I'm not sure. I just do. I just keep my head down and don't let them get to me. I don't like it, but they are going to try to get their pictures regardless of what I want, so I just try not to let it bother me."

"Look at me, Angela," I said quietly. Her gaze lowered from Edward's face to mine. "It'll be okay. Once Edward goes back to LA, things will calm down here again. Plus, you have Jake to help protect you."

Angela shook her head and watched as the last of the paps got chased away.

"Things will never be the same, Bella."

x-x-x-x-x-x

The drive home was quiet. Angela's words would not leave me alone. I knew my life had been irrevocably changed but what about the people in my life? They hadn't asked for this. When I agreed to try to build a relationship with Edward, I had an idea of what could happen. But did Angela? She knew about Edward, and I'm sure she realized that the paparazzi were going to be an issue at the bar, but did she really have any idea of what it would be like? Perhaps she was just startled from it being her first real experience with the paparazzi. It was pretty overwhelming for me too, but I was expecting something to happen. The media sharks were rabid enough to find out who I was and where Edward was, no thanks to Lauren's help.

I couldn't help but think back to how different last Friday was. _Had all this happened in just a week? Sweet Jesus. _It certainly felt like more time had passed than just one week.

Edward's face was pensive as he stared into the night. I took his hand in mine and gave him a reassuring squeeze as I drove. Knowing him, he was over-thinking everything again.

Just as we were pulling into my driveway, bright lights burst forth from both sides of my truck. The light blinded me and I stopped the truck abruptly, skidding slightly on the gravel. I quickly released Edward's hand and kept both of mine tight around the steering wheel as I tried to figure out what was going on.

"What the hell?" I said, whipping my head around to try to see.

"Looks like the paparazzi were waiting for us here, too," Edward said with resignation, leaning his head against the headrest of his seat and throwing his arm above his head, partially blocking his face from the eager photographers.

The flashes were coming with such speed it was like daylight in the cab of my truck. I heard voices outside, calling out to Edward and me. Groaning in frustration, I laid on the horn and tried to get enough people out of the way so we could advance to the gate where the code box waited. None of the stalkerazzi moved. I wanted to try to inch the truck up the driveway but was afraid I'd hit someone. A few thuds reverberated through the body of my truck as someone actually got ballsy enough to touch my vehicle.

"This is ridiculous," I muttered and undid my seatbelt so I could get out of the cab.

"What are you doing?" Edward asked incredulously, turning towards me and grabbing my hands.

"I'm going to talk to them. If they want is a picture so bad, then they can have one and then go away."

"It's not that simple, Bella."

"You said yourself to Angela that they are going to take our photo whether we want them to or not, right?"

"Yeah," he replied softly. Edward's face was illuminated again by the flashes of the cameras. His brows were furrowed in concern. The harsh lights of the flashes emphasized the creases, making his face look carved in worry.

"Well, by not doing anything, we are allowing them to be in control of the situation. If we go out there and allow them to have a few pictures, we are in control. We can't be overwhelmed if we are in control, right?"

"In a simpler world, possibly, but it can easily get out of control," Edward insisted. "Some photographers may be happy with a few posed photos, but for most of them? Nothing is ever enough. Sure, they'll be happy to take any photos that are offered, but they will want more. Maybe not tonight or even tomorrow, but they will be back. They will want _exclusive_ photos, _private_ photos, the kind of photos that really pay out. By giving them an opportunity tonight, we'd only be fueling the fire."

I leaned my head against the headrest of the seat with a defeated sigh, closing my eyes against the flashes. There was no winning against this. "So what now?"

Edward released my hands and looked like he was about to respond when sirens blared and bright blue and red lights eclipsed the never-ending camera flashes. Two squad cars pulled up behind my truck, causing some of the photographers to scatter into the shoulder of the road. The smarter ones retreated back to their cars, parked on the other side of the road, partially hidden by shrubs. Only with the harsh lights of the photographers' cameras were the cars even visible. The more tenacious paparazzi hovered by my truck, snapping every shot they could.

The front doors on the police cars swung open and four officers emerged. I easily recognized them all, especially the oldest of the four who was wearing a fierce look on his face as he strode forward towards my truck.

"Charlie's here," I whispered, a little unsure of what his reaction to all of this would be. He seemed cool about Edward yesterday when we came clean about his identity, but would he be cool about this?

A few of the photographers somehow knew who Charlie was and a few of them began yelling to one another to try to get shots of "Papa Bear," like this was a game or something. That made my blood boil.

"Those assholes think this is a game," I muttered darkly as my hands clenched around the steering wheel.

Charlie's gruff voice cut through the shouts of the paparazzi, "You're on private property! Get out of here before I arrest the whole lot of you!"

Edward only nodded as he looked around, watching the cops spread out to deflect the photographers. All four had their nightsticks out. The other three cops' voices joined with Charlie, advising the remaining trespassers to leave. Most of the photographers were standing by their cars, snapping a few pictures but not crossing onto my property again. As my father came up to my window, the other three cops chased the stragglers away.

I rolled my window down and Charlie popped his head in quickly. "You alright, Bells?" His brown eyes, so similar to mine, were wide with concern as they flicked across me and Edward making sure we weren't hurt.

Nodding, I looked over at Edward who shrugged and propped his head against his hand, against the sill of the window. A camera flash from very close went off, temporarily blinding us. I was barely able to see, but Charlie had already spun around and chased the sneaky photographer away.

The overweight photographer didn't stand a chance against the very fit chief of police. Charlie grabbed the man who was about to spend a lonely night in jail by the back of his shirt and threw him to the ground, the gravel digging into the man's corpulent body. The paparazzo's camera went clattering against the stones, something snapping along the way. The man cursed loudly but didn't struggle as Charlie yanked his arms behind him and handcuffed him.

"You're gonna pay for that, asshole!" the photographer yelled as Charlie hauled him up and dragged him to the squad car.

"Nah, I don't think so, princess. You're trespassing and I'm not the one who dropped your camera. Oh, and by the way, you're under arrest." Charlie continued reading the disgruntled man his Miranda rights as he stuffed him in the backseat of the second police car. The other three officers were also handcuffing a few photographers who hadn't listened to their earlier declaration to leave.

Now that our path to the gate was finally clear, I inched the forward truck and hurriedly punched in the code at the code box. As soon as I heard the whirr of the gate, I hit the gas pedal and almost hit the gate in my rush to distance myself from the insanity we just went through. Charlie followed quickly behind us in the first squad car. The other cruiser stayed behind, backseat full of unhappy photographers, while the officers guarded the gate from anyone else from trying to trespass.

Back in the house, it almost seemed like things were back to normal, unless I was looking out my front window. I could still see the other police car and the occasional camera flash through the fence and the trees. The dirt and soil around the fence was still fresh from being installed earlier in the week. It almost seemed prophetic how Edward made sure the fence was put up so quickly, like he knew it would be needed tonight. I shuddered, thinking about how close the paparazzi would have been able to get without the fence.

Charlie, Edward, and I stood awkwardly around my kitchen table. Edward had been quiet ever since the paparazzi had ambushed us in my driveway. His reaction surprised me. He was used to this. It was almost like he was in shock. Yet here I was the person who wasn't used to it, seemingly not as affected by it as he was. Charlie was a different story. He was still in cop mode. He kept looking around the room, never quite relaxing, and not saying anything. The tension was getting to me.

"Would either of you like some coffee?" I asked as I reached for the canister of coffee from the cabinet.

Charlie's gaze jumped over to me, his expression slightly startled like he was deep in thought. "Um, sure, Bells, that would be great."

Edward shook his head and kept staring at nothing in particular.

Nodding, I quickly filled up the coffee maker with fresh water and coffee grounds. The task was a quick but mindless activity that I needed. This was a normal activity, something that wouldn't be impacted by the paparazzi or whatever other changes were going on. Once the machine started to brew, I turned back towards Edward and Charlie.

"You got that fence up just in time, Edward," Charlie commented.

Edward only nodded. His lack of speech was starting to irritate me. I knew he was freaking out about the paparazzi scaring me off, but his withdrawal was unnerving. Back in the bar, I told him I wasn't going anywhere and I meant it. Was seeing all the photographers in my driveway scary? Hell yes, but they weren't going to get the best of me.

Charlie had continued to talk to Edward while I was lost in my thoughts. Charlie wanted more details about how bad it could get and what Edward did in the past to deal with the paparazzi.

"I just slipped on a pair of sunglasses, kept my head down, and did my best to ignore them," Edward replied quietly, finally speaking for the first time since we exited my truck.

I took this as a perfect opportunity to continue to reassure Edward. "I can do that. It sounds easy enough."

"Plus I'll make sure there are regular patrols by the bar and your house, Bells," Charlie added. "And until things quiet down, you shouldn't leave the house or the bar alone."

Edward's head popped up as Charlie finished speaking, his eyes quickly locking with mine as he waited for my response.

I shook my head and closed my eyes briefly in an effort to calm myself. "Dad, I am not getting a bodyguard. I'll be fine. I don't go many places anyway to be worried about mobs of photographers."

"Bells-"

"Dad, no!" I said emphatically, standing up straight and folding my arms across my chest. "This is not open for discussion. Edward wanted me to get a bodyguard too, and I told him the same thing."

Charlie sighed and looked at Edward sympathetically. "She can be a stubborn handful, can't she?"

Edward smiled faintly. "Yes, but her stubborn strength is what she needs to deal with all this crap I've dragged into her life."

"Hello! I'm right here!" I announced, my voice rising as my irritation increased. _Talking about me like I wasn't even in the room._

"And you," I spat, whirling on Edward. His eyes widened in surprise. I poked his chest with my index finger, causing him to back up a step. "You didn't _dump_ anything into my life that I wasn't expecting. I willingly accepted what being in a relationship with you could entail." My voice softened as I continued, "Stop expecting me to leave and trust me; trust _us_."

Charlie cleared his throat as he fidgeted awkwardly. "Well kids, since you guys seem to be alright now, I'm going to head out. Plus the station is going to need help with all the bookings."

"At least stay until the coffee is ready, Dad," I insisted, turning from Edward towards my father.

Charlie sighed but nodded. He leaned against the wall nearest him and crossed his arms across his chest.

I turned back toward Edward who still looked a bit startled. I gave him a small smile and cupped his cheek. "I love you, silly man. The paparazzi are never going to make me stop loving you. It just isn't possible."

Edward reached out to me and pulled me into his chest. He gently wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head with his trademark half-smile. "Love you too, sweetheart."

Charlie cleared his throat again as the coffee pot pinged as it finished brewing. Regretfully, I pulled myself away from Edward's embrace and grabbed a travel mug for Charlie's coffee.

"What time are you heading out, Edward?" Charlie asked as I added cream and sugar to Charlie's coffee.

"In the afternoon. My flight leaves at 2:37."

"Direct flight?"

"Oh yeah. I try to avoid layovers if at all possible."

Charlie grunted and I handed him his coffee.

"Thank you, Dad, for coming out and helping us," I said softly.

Charlie's eyes softened as he stared into the top of his mug. "Of course, Bells. You're my baby girl. You may be all grown up now, but I can still look out for you."

I blushed and looked down at my fingers. Edward took this moment to step out of the room and give us some privacy.

"No matter how old I am, I'll always be your baby girl, Dad," I whispered.

Charlie didn't say anything, but I saw tears starting to form in his eyes. I smiled gently and hugged him carefully, mindful of his full mug of hot coffee.

"Love you, Bells."

"Love you too, Dad."

Charlie grunted again and headed towards the front door. Before walking across the threshold, he hollered a goodbye to Edward and smiled at me one more time. I gave a small wave and locked the door behind him. It appeared that a lot of the commotion at the front of our driveway had died down. The squad car lights were no longer flashing, and I didn't see any other cars indicating paparazzi presence. I hoped that the rest of the evening was as calm as the beginning of it was not.

Music was playing softly from my partially closed bedroom door. Before I went in, I shut the rest of the house down, turning off lights and putting away anything that was out. One last stop into the kitchen to turn off the coffee pot and I was on my way to my bedroom where I assumed Edward was waiting.

Quietly, walking on the balls of my sock-covered feet, I poked my head through my bedroom door. Edward was sprawled across my bed in his boxers and a t-shirt, totally engrossed in a book. A stray lock of hair hung over his forehead that I itched to brush back. I leaned against the doorframe and watched him read, totally fascinated by his facial expressions as he read. I was quite curious as to what book would hold his attention so closely. I didn't think he had brought any books with him, so it was probably one of the ones I had on my bedroom bookshelf. A quick glance over said bookshelf didn't reveal anything. It did not look like any particular book was missing.

Finally deciding I had watching him long enough, I walked further into the room and sat down next to him. "Whatcha reading?" I whispered as I finally pushed back that tantalizing lock of hair.

Edward looked up with a lazy smile as he put the book down. "I didn't even hear you come in. I'm reading _Dune_."

I arched an eyebrow at him. _Dune_ was not a book I thought he would ever get into. "Really? You never struck me as a science-fiction fan."

Edward scooted closer to me and ran his hands up and down my legs. "I like all kinds of books. It just depends on the mood I'm in. I've always wanted to read it, and I just happened to notice that you have a copy of it."

"Yeah, I have the whole series that Frank Herbert wrote, even some of the prequels that his son wrote." I tried to ignore the bolts of electricity that were shooting across my body from where his hands touched me.

"There's more?"

"Indeed. The universe that Herbert created could not be contained in just one book."

"Hmmm," Edward considered. "It looks like I have quite a bit of reading ahead of me."

He scooted even closer to me as he lay on his side. His scent began to wrap around me, making me think of some very non-literary things I wanted to do to him.

"Eh, I still think the first book is the best. The last few books get a little weird."

"I thought you liked weird," Edward teased, running his hands up my sides now.

"Depends on the type of weird," I whispered. My heart started to beat faster as his ministrations called to me.

"Hmmm, I think you like my kind of weird." Edward followed that statement with a kiss to the inside of my elbow. "And I think you are wearing far too many clothes."

I laughed and looked down at him. Edward had an amused expression on his face as one of his hands crept under my work t-shirt. "Oh really?"

He leaned up on an elbow and held my gaze. "Yes, really." His hand under my shirt managed to pop the clasp on my bra, making the front of my shirt puff out a bit.

"Well, since you put it that why, who am I to argue?" I mused as I slid off the bed. Edward's face looked eager, and he tried to fight the smile that was trying to erupt across it.

Smirking, I turned my back to him. Edward grumbled, mumbling something about not being able to see perfectly fine breasts. Feeling playful, I slowly stripped my shirt up and over my head. I swung it around a few times before I tossed it back, hoping it landed on him. A quick check confirmed that my t-shirt landed square on his head.

With a chuckle, I undid my pants and slipped them down my legs, taking my panties with them. Another peek at Edward revealed him watching my movements with avid interest. My shirt was still perched on his head, but he had moved it aside just far enough for one eye to follow me. Meanwhile, his free hand was on his boxers as he stroked himself through the cloth.

"Enjoying yourself there, dear?" I asked as I stepped out of my pants and underwear.

Edward's voice rumbled across to me, low and husky, "Starting to, love."

I laughed as I unhooked my bra and slid it off my shoulders. "Mmmm, perhaps I can help finish it."

"I certainly hope so."

I turned around and stood before the bed, wearing only my socks and a smile. "And I know just where to start."

Edward's smile got wider as I walked the two steps to the edge of the mattress and crawled over to him. Slowly, I continued my path up his body until we were face to face. I gently raised my hand to his cheek. Edward's eyes closed in anticipation of my touch. The pads of my fingers were just millimeters from his skin, close enough that I could feel the heat emanating from his form. With a smirk and a snort, I reached up and snatched my t-shirt from his head.

"I think you'll want to be able to use both eyes for this."

Edward laughed and leaned over to kiss me, his lips soft but insistent. "Maybe you're right."

His hand brushed along my neck, settling at my nape, holding my head to him as his lips continued their work. His delicate touch at my neck and his lips on mine were enough to make me burn like it was our first time together again. Even though it had only been a few hours since we had been together in my office, my body still called to him.

Edward rolled over, pushing me down against the mattress, resting the weight of his body against mine. Slowly, his hand trailed from the back of my neck, down my body, curving around my breasts and across my stomach. My back arched as his hands awakened every nerve in my body.

My fingers inched up his chest, under his shirt. The taut planes of his stomach and chest shivered at my touch. "Now I think you are the one wearing too many clothes," I murmured, trailing a line of kisses down his jaw.

Edward grunted and reached a hand back to pull his shirt off, tossing it across the bedroom.

I snaked my other hand down to his boxers and cupped him, squeezing gently. "Don't forget about your boxers too, Edward. I think something wants out."

He chuckled and shimmied his boxers down his hips and off his body while still staying in contact with mine with either a hand or his lips. As soon as his erection was free, my hand eagerly grasped it and began stroking the smooth, hard shaft.

"Good God, Bella," he groaned, burying his face in my neck as his hands rubbed up and down my sides, his fingers just barely touching the sides of my breasts.

I smiled softly and continued to touch him. I could feel him throb in my hand, his heartbeat coming through his engorged flesh. My other hand was wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer to my body.

"Edward, please," I begged, drawing him into me. Quietly, without much preamble, he sheathed himself fully inside of me. We sighed together, feeling complete now that we were joined.

Closing my eyes, I allowed my other senses to take over. I had seen him with my eyes many times already, now I wanted my other senses to commit him to memory. Our upcoming separation was going to be short relative to our last, but I still wanted to remember him the best I could.

My fingers became as sensitive as a blind person's, reading Edward's body like Braille, memorizing every crease, every line, every cord of muscle. His skin became a living organism, responding to my touch, blood rushing up in answer to my caress, burning and soothing as I committed his flesh to memory.

My sense of smell became acute. Never before had his distinct Edward scent been as potent as it was right at this moment. There was a hint of sweat from the stage, a trace of alcohol from the beers he drank. There were still traces of soap from his shower that morning, reminiscent of vanilla and sandalwood. All these became an unnamable combination that was completely male and all Edward. I ran the tip of my nose across his collarbone and up his neck, relishing in the subtle changes of his scent.

The taste of his skin followed. My lips and tongue worshipped him as our bodies melded together. The sweat I smelled, I now tasted. The softness of his skin melted under my tongue. There was a certain spiciness to his skin that I hadn't noticed before. Perhaps it was from his soap. Perhaps it was from our earlier intense lovemaking. Regardless, this new aspect of his taste added another dimension to who Edward was.

Hearing was the final piece. Now I had the almost superhuman hearing of a mountain lion, a feline huntress with her prey in sight. I eagerly listened to every breath, every heavy pant, every moan that came from Edward's mouth. I listened as he grunted with each thrust inside of me, how when I tightened our intimate contact he whispered my name like a prayer.

Each of my senses came to an apex as my body soared. My body felt like a spring, fully coiled and ready to burst. My back arched as Edward plunged into me deeply. I finally opened my eyes again and was immediately entranced with Edward's blazing green ones. The intensity of his stare combined with the force of our connection gave me my release.

I called out his name, not as shout or a yell but in exclamation, in celebration of our love. Edward followed soon after, his voice soft and gentle as my name passed his lips. We stayed together, limbs entangled, as we caught our breath. Of all the times we had made love during this week, this particular evening was different. There was a depth and an intensity that I had never experienced before. It brought me to tears.

"Bella, sweetheart, what's wrong?" Edward whispered, trying to wipe away my tears with his thumb.

"I don't know," I admitted hoarsely, gripping his sides tightly as I tried to get a hold of my emotions.

"Did I hurt you?"

I shook my head with a little snifflely laugh. "God no, far from it. It was just… so incredibly intense. It was so… I was just so…" I trailed off, at a loss as to how to describe what just transpired between us.

"Moving?" he supplied softly, brushing my hair out of my face.

I thought for a moment before I nodded. "Yes, I think that could describe it, but it doesn't seem like enough."

Edward's typical smirk came out as he continued, "How about special? Or transcendent? Or ethereal?"

"Or ass!" I playfully smacked his arm as he laughed. "Thanks for making fun of me, jerk off!" I teased

Edward rolled his eyes and kissed me gently on the lips. "I don't need to jerk off now, thanks."

"Such an ass," I declared as he rolled off of me.

Edward settled on his back, folding his arms behind his head. I wanted nothing more than to curl up into his side, but I had a much stronger desire to be clean. With everything that had gone on today, both good and bad, I really needed to decompress under the shower. I slid out of bed with a resigned sigh.

"I'm going to pop in the shower real quick, baby."

"Uh hmm," was the semi-coherent reply. Typical of men, Edward was quickly on his way to post-sex sleep.

I showered quickly, washing the make-up, styling products, and sweat from my body. My hands ran across my skin feeling all the spots that Edward had ravished throughout the night. A few areas were tender but it was a good kind of sore. I would have these bits of soreness as a reminder that Edward was truly real after he had gone back to LA.

I knew that the distance thing couldn't go on ad nauseum. At some point, one of us was going to have to give if our relationship was going to continue. I wasn't ready to make that call yet, and I doubted Edward was either. We had dealt with a good chunk of our initial issues but that didn't mean we were ready to make a more permanent arrangement or even compromise our careers.

I shook my head slightly as I got out of the shower to dispel the negative thoughts. I just experienced the most mind-blowing sexual experience of my life with the man that I loved more than I thought possible. It was practically a sin to think negative thoughts now. Just as I had done before, I would enjoy each and every moment I had with Edward and would worry about the future when those kinds of questions and issues actually came up, and not one second before.

Satisfied with my little internal pep talk, I finished drying myself off and walked back into my bedroom where Edward's soft snores started to fill the air. I laughed quietly, turned the lights off, and crawled into bed next to him. He had moved a little since I had taken my shower. One hand rested on his stomach while the other was still behind his head. I watched his chest rise and fall, the lines of his muscles stretching out as he took a breath. Soft light from the streetlights outside glimmered on his reddish-blonde chest hair and narrow happy trail. I sighed happily and snuggled into his side, draping an arm across his chest, just under his hand. I fell asleep with the scent of Edward flooding my nostrils and soothing my mind.

x-x-x-x-x

A streak of sunlight, peeking out from behind a cloud, came barreling down through my bedroom window and right onto my face. I squinted as the sunlight woke me up abruptly. As my body stirred, I felt the heavy, delicious weight of Edward's body next to me. He was no longer snoring but was on his side, curled around my body. One of his hands rested on my hip, warm and soothing. Carefully, trying hard not to disturb him, I slid out of bed and reached for my robe.

Pulling the soft, terrycloth material around me, I padded out into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. Tasks like this seemed so ordinary, so incredibly normal, so unlike what my life had been turning into since Edward came into it. Now I had a security fence around my property. Now I had to worry about the paparazzi. But did I really want a normal life? I had been perfectly content with where my life was going before Edward stepped into it with a crash, literally. Now, what had changed so much that the contentment I felt before was no longer enough?

Love.

Love was what was different. I was content with my life and happy, but I had been irrevocably changed when I fell in love with Edward. While we had made no lifetime commitments or promises to one another, I just _knew_ that this was it. Whatever it was, whatever it led to, he was _it_. My hands shook with this realization, but I was okay with it.

He was still leaving today, but I would cope. I'd see him again. Soon even, only a month. Our first Christmas. Our first of many. This time I would get to fly to him. This time I'd get to see his world.

I smiled to myself as a Christmas jingle popped in my head. I couldn't resist humming along as I went about my morning. The house wasn't dirty, but I still straightened it up as the coffee brewed. Thoughts of Christmas influenced my breakfast choices as I started making cranberry ginger muffins and pumpkin pancakes. I even added gingerbread creamer to my coffee.

I had just slipped the muffins in the oven when Edward stumbled into the kitchen, half awake with his boxers twisted low on his hips and tented. The giggle erupted from my mouth before I could stop it. Edward blinked a few times and scrubbed his scalp with one hand, making his bed-head look even more atrocious. _If the people at GQ could see him now._

Feeling merciful, I handed Edward a cup of coffee and directed him to a chair before he ran into something sharp. He blinked a few more times as his higher level brain functions started to operate. I started to flip the pancakes while he sipped his coffee. Christmas carols spring to mind again, and I resumed humming happily. There really wasn't anything much better than having Edward home with me, even if he was leaving later. But that didn't matter in that moment. Nothing did because right now, he was here with me.

Edward must've finally woken up completely when, I heard his velvety tenor softly sing the lyrics to the carol I was humming. I loved hearing him sing, especially when it was just the two of us. As we finished the song, I turned towards him with the big plate of pancakes in my hand. Edward was still sitting at the table, but he was gazing at me with such love and affection. It was difficult to continue staring at his face with the insanity of his gaze.

I set down the huge plate of pancakes on the table in front of Edward and returned to the oven to pull out the muffins. By the time I had come back to the table, Edward had already piled a stack of pancakes on his plate and was eagerly buttering them.

"Hungry?" I teased as I relaxed into my chair and took a sip of coffee.

"Starved," Edward replied, his voice still rough from sleep. "I feel like I haven't eaten in a week!"

"Well, you did work pretty hard yesterday," I commented drolly, fighting the smile that threatened to show.

Edward snorted with an amused look on his face. "I certainly did."

I snickered and started buttering my own stack of pancakes. Edward began to cut into his but looked at a few of the pieces intently before picking one up and smelling it.

"Pumpkin?"

I nodded as I poured a healthy amount of real maple syrup over my stack of pumpkin deliciousness. "And I made ginger cranberry muffins too."

Edward moaned and I looked at him curiously.

"Woman, can you be any more perfect?"

I blushed and snorted at the same time, the snort full of derision as I was far from perfect. "Hardly, Edward. I just know how to make a good breakfast."

"You certainly do. I will miss this when I go back."

Edward's last statement took the wind out of my sails as I struggled to retain my good mood. _It's only for a few weeks. It's only for a few weeks. It's only for a few weeks, _I thought to myself.

I tried to hide how my mood deflated, but Edward knew me too well and saw the minute signs that signaled my mood change. He cocked his head to the side and looked at me with a soft look on his face.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn't mean to remind you."

I shook my head and tried to dispel the depressing thoughts. "It's alright, Edward. Its not like I can pretend its not going to happen since you are leaving today. I'll deal with it, and better than I did last time. Plus, we will be seeing each other soon. That definitely helps."

He smiled as he brought his cup of coffee to his lips. After he swallowed, his index finger ran along the rim of his cup. "It is hard to say good-bye. I hate doing this, and it's only the second time. This time around will be much better for me too. I'll know how to deal with the separation better. And as you said, it will only be for a few weeks. Let me tell you, I cannot wait for Christmas."

"Has Christmas always been your favorite holiday?"

"Generally, I am looking forward to seeing my family. Now that all of us are grown, it is hard for everyone to get together, so the holidays are that much more precious. My mom goes nuts at Christmas so it's always memorable. This year, however, has the added bonus that you'll be there with me."

My heart melted a little bit at his words. My family was never quite traditional, which was something I had always wished for. I loved my family and wouldn't change a thing on how my parents raised me, but I had always wished for that traditional type of Christmas that was portrayed in movies, Hallmark Christmas cards, and Norman Rockwell paintings.

The oven timer binged, signaling that the muffins were done. I rose quickly to pull them out and let them cool for a few minutes. "I can't wait to see it, although I am nervous about meeting your family. I hope they like me."

Edward laughed and came to stand behind me as I put the muffins on a cooling rack. His bare arms wrapped around my waist as he nuzzled my neck. "They will love you. Alice already does. She has told everyone about you, and my mother is fit to be tied in anticipation."

"Not helping, Edward," I complained softly. I was already nervous and now I had to worry about living up to their expectations.

"You're worrying too much, Bella. My family is harmless," he stated simply as he grabbed a still quite warm muffin.

I smiled and tried to be reassured as he eagerly took a bite of the top of the muffin, steam wafting up from where he had broken the crust. His family sounded so wonderful. I hoped they didn't wonder why their rich and famous son was with a relatively unknown woman from Small Town, USA or think I was after his money.

"And before you go there, they aren't wondering why I'm not with someone from Hollywood or think that you are a golddigger. You did not seek me out on purpose. We met by accident when I was at a very low point in my life. You pulled me out of my drunken funk, which is something that they will always be thankful to you for. I don't want someone from Hollywood. I want you. They know that."

I smiled softly at him. He knew me so well already. I didn't consider myself terribly insecure, but I did want to make a good impression on Edward's family. His sister was a formidable ball of energy. I could only imagine what the mother of such a passionate woman would be like.

"Oh my God, Bella, these muffins," Edward groaned as his eyeballs rolled into the back of his head while taking another bite.

I laughed as I handed him a second muffin while I grabbed one for myself. He eagerly started eating the second muffin as I nibbled mine.

"You don't like them at all, do you?"

"Naugt a biff," Edward said through a mouthful of muffin, a look of pure bliss on his face.

I couldn't stop laughing as Edward scarfed his muffins with no care about manners. I was glad I'd made plenty of them so I could send some home with him.

We spent the rest of our morning quietly enjoying one another's company. Edward packed his bags without a fuss, and I tried to focus not on the fact that he was leaving. The sooner he was gone, the sooner I would be on a plane to him. Soft touches and gentle kisses marked the time till Edward sighed one final time and looked at his watch.

"It's time."

I nodded and tried to keep my chin from trembling. I was better than this. I knew better than this. Quickly, I squeezed my eyes shut to push the tears back until I was alone. With a final shake of my head, I stood up and grabbed the bag of muffins from the kitchen. When I returned to the living room, Edward stood next to his few bags, waiting by the front door.

After our run-ins with the paparazzi, we agreed earlier that he would drive himself to the airport and drop off his rental there. I was disappointed that I wouldn't be able to go with him to see him off but we both knew the paps would probably be there waiting to get a good shot. While I hadn't been overcome by the paps yet, I had had my fill for a few days. The one and only good thing about Edward going back home was that hopefully some of the paparazzi would leave me alone for a little while.

I handed him the plastic baggie full of muffins. He took them greedily, making sure to pack them securely in his carry-on. After making sure his precious cargo was taken care of, he turned to me and pulled me gently into his arms.

"You know, if you keep making things like this for me, I just may have to keep you," he murmured, running a hand down my back.

"Hmm, I'll have to remember that."

Edward laughed as he brought his face close to mine, running his nose across my cheek into my hair. His arms tightened around my waist, embracing me tightly. I sank into his body, locking my arms across his back. His heart was beating furiously, pounding into my breasts which were crushed against his chest.

"Love you," he murmured, breathing deeply of my scent.

"Love you, too, sweetheart," I whispered with my heart bursting for this man who I treasured more than I thought possible.

Far too soon, Edward pulled away from me. His hands trailed along my sides as he leaned in for one final kiss. His lips were searing, burning down to the depths of my soul. I closed my eyes to memorize the sensation. When I re-opened them, his face was intense and earnest as he stared at me like I was a precious work of art. I stared back, unabashed and unashamed, as I recommitted his face to memory. There was little doubt that I would _ever_ forget what Edward looked like, but I wanted to keep this moment forever in my mind. In the future, when I was a shriveled little old lady on my deathbed with my grandchildren and great-grandchildren around me, I would be able to think back to this moment and remember his face, this look, and this feeling.

Absolute and unending love.

A short time later, I could hear gravel crunch under the tires of Edward's Volvo as he drove away. It was easier this time, but it still hurt. For now, it was a necessary evil. I swallowed back my tears as I got ready to head into the bar. It would be interesting to see what the crowd would be like the day after the concert.

I grabbed one last muffin as I ran out the door and hopped into my truck. The old beast was really on its last legs. The truck usually didn't warm up fully until I was already in the parking lot of the Midnight Sun. I groaned thinking of another harsh winter on the lakeshore. The weight of the truck was good to have for traction, but it was still top heavy. I didn't feel unsafe, but perhaps I could be safer in something smaller.

A new habit had developed over the past day or so. I now caught myself constantly checking my mirrors to see if I was being trailed by someone. Today was no exception as I saw a small black rental car a few car lengths behind me as I drove through downtown. I sighed and kept going, determined not to let the paparazzi get to me. I figured they'd leave when they realized that Edward had gone back to LA.

As I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed there was a police car parked there in addition to Jake and Angela's vehicles. My father's second-in-command, Lieutenant Cheney, leaned against the squad car, bundled up in his winter uniform jacket. Quickly, I exited my truck and grabbed the muffins I hadn't had a chance to eat yet and approached the office.

"Good Afternoon, Lieutenant. What brings you by today?"

Lieutenant Cheney smiled warmly and pushed his hat up off his forehead a bit. He was probably a good ten years older than I, between my father's age and mine. I had known him for years, ever since the Lieutenant joined the police department as a rookie straight out of the academy. He actually joined the force about the time I moved to Ohio. We were both scared and a little unsure. Despite our age differences, camaraderie of sorts developed, turning into a casual but long term friendship as I grew older.

"Bella, how many times do I have to ask? Please call me Ben."

"Okay, Ben, what brings you by today? This wouldn't have anything to do with my father would it?"

Ben laughed, causing his shoulders to shake slightly. "Possibly, you know your old man. He is worried that some of the newest visitors to our fair city may try to pull something sneaky."

As Ben spoke, the car that had been following me earlier slowly pulled into the parking lot and parked on the other side of Jake's car, away from our line of sight. I notice that Ben's dark brown eyes kept glancing at the car while he spoke with me.

I rolled my eyes but smiled, also keeping a close eye on the strange car. I knew my father well and was genuinely thankful for the concern, and the extra set of eyes. "If the last several days, last night especially, were any indication, then I'm sure they will. Although, they will be sorely disappointed to find out that Edward has already left."

"Already? Didn't he just get here?"

"He arrived Monday afternoon, but he couldn't stay very long. He's still filming and the director let them have the week off for the holiday. He has to be back on the set tomorrow."

"They work on Sundays too?"

"I guess so. From what Edward says, making movies are generally very expensive, especially if they are being shot at a location and not at a studio, so they just power through it and get all the filming done all at once. What he is working on now is at a studio, but they still can't take their time."

"Hmm, I learn something new every day," Ben commented.

"You hungry?"

"A little. You buyin'?"

I laughed again. Ben was so easy to be around. He definitely put me at ease. "Better, homemade." I tossed him the bag of muffins I brought for myself. "I made these this morning. Cranberry ginger muffins."

Ben's eyes grew wide as he quickly grabbed the bag and pulled out a muffin. "Seriously? Homemade muffins? I haven't had homemade muffins in a long time." He sniffed the top, smiling like a kid at Christmas.

"Yes, seriously. What is it about men and homemade treats?" I muttered to myself. I swore, if this was all that it took to get a man's attention, then all those feminists were wrong. We definitely had the power, but it was from the kitchen after all.

I cleared my throat as Ben demolished the first muffin and looked like he was considering the second one. "Well, I need to head inside and get to work. Are you staying outside the entire day?"

Ben looked down at his chest and blushed as he quickly brushed muffin crumbs off his jacket. "Er, no, just for a little while. I'll be in and out as I monitor the area. One of the regular patrolmen will be by later to relieve me for a bit. I'll be back tonight to make sure you get home safely."

"Ben, you don't have to do that. I have a security fence now. I'll be perfectly safe."

"Orders from the Chief, ma'am. I can't go against that."

I nodded, acknowledging that Ben was going back into "duty" mode. I knew asking him not to escort me home was probably not going to work, but I had to ask. I didn't like feeling like I was being babysat, but I knew this was for my protection. It was scary to think about what could have happened last night if Charlie hadn't been there to help get rid of the photographers that had followed us to my house. Finding where I lived was bound to happen eventually. Once my name was out, all it took was a tech savvy person to do a property search in the area and find where I lived. _The joys of public information in the technologically advanced age we lived in._

"Let me know if you need anything. Whatever you want is on the house," I offered.

"Thank you, Bella."

I walked into the bar which was completely set up already, but there was no sign of Jake or Angela. _That's odd_. As I walked through the main room towards my office, I heard a scuffle and a groan that seemed to be coming from the supply room. Concerned that a pap had managed to get inside, I quietly approached the corner and peeked my head around. I couldn't have been more surprised at what I saw. It definitely was _not_ a paparazzi.

Jacob had Angela pressed up against the far wall with her legs wrapped around his waist and her hands in his hair. One of his hands was cupping her butt, and the other I couldn't see, nor did I really want to know where it was. I smirked as I tried to keep myself from laughing out loud. I wasn't the only one who became impassioned at work.

Feeling that I had intruded long enough, I softly cleared my throat. I could tell the instant they heard me. Both of their bodies stiffened and Angela let out a sharp gasp. "Hmm, perhaps I should have an office built for you guys so you could have some privacy... certainly beats making out in the stock room." Before Jake could turn around and be further humiliated, I chuckled a few times and walked away to my office. I wasn't going to give him or Angela too much of a hard time about it. They weren't naked and we weren't open yet. Hell, I had done worse in my office just the other night. That didn't mean that they weren't going to get teased a few times before I let them off the hook.

A few minutes later, someone rapped on my office door. I gave permission to enter and spun around in my chair to see who was first in the walk of shame. Jake trudged in, his head hung low with his hand at the back of his neck. It was hard to tell with his dusky skin tone, but it almost seemed like he was still blushing. I tried to fight the smile that was trying so hard to come out, it was a losing battle. At least I managed not to laugh again. Jake stopped in front of me, his head still bowed. He shifted his weight from one side, a habit I had seen from him when he was gathering his thoughts.

"Bella, I am so sorry- "

I held up my hand cutting him off. "Nothing to be sorry for, Jake. Do you think I'd really be upset that you two were having a little fun before the bar opened? I couldn't care less. Just be careful. As long as it doesn't interfere with business, it doesn't bother me. I just don't want to catch either one of you naked on the bar or on my desk."

He looked up at me, incredulous.

"Come on now, do you really think I'd be mad over catching you two getting a little handsy after what I've done in my office with Edward?"

Jake was speechless and blushing furiously.

"Okay, perhaps that was a TMI moment, but you were there standing guard by my office door on Friday night. You_ knew_ what we were up to in there."

He appeared to have recovered his speech. "Yeah, I had a good idea but this is your place, not mine. You could screw right on the bar if you wanted to."

I shook my head. "Yes, but that probably violates some health codes. Tempting idea though," I said with a smile as my imagination wandered.

Jake just shook his head and laughed. "Angela is so worried that you are going to fire us."

"Oh come on, really? How long have you guys known me? Do you really think I'd fire you for that?"

He shrugged. "Well, no, but I don't like to assume anything."

I laughed. "You have nothing to worry about. You two are my best employees. You guys are the reason why I can take off for a few weeks next month. You and Angela keep this place running like a well-oiled machine, and I couldn't be more grateful."

Jake nodded and blushed again. "Thank you."

"Now go tell your anxious girlfriend that you two still have jobs for the foreseeable future and let me get back to work."

xoxoxoxoxo

The weeks leading towards Christmas passed quickly, much quicker than I expected. Business at the bar had picked up, partially because the college kids were home from school and from Edward's concert. People came just to see if he'd stop by or just to be in the same place he was. The extra business was nice. It helped me put money aside faster for the restaurant expansion. For the benefit to the bar, I would put up with the publicity and the paparazzi.

The week after Edward left, Charlie made sure I didn't go anywhere without police escort, either uniform or not. It was comforting but largely unnecessary. There were only two instances where the photographers were a problem and the city's finest helped keep them at bay. I still found myself gracing the covers of the tabloids, but it didn't bother me as much as I thought it would.

There were a ton of pictures of us from the concert on Friday night. I was confident enough in myself to realize that I was fairly attractive, but I barely recognized myself in those pictures. Now those, those I was proud of having displayed. I looked hot, like I deserved to be with Edward. I didn't realize how short that cocktail dress was until I saw a photo of me wearing it, but damn if Alice didn't have good taste.

I discovered the concert pictures when I was in the grocery store later that week after Edward left. Thankfully, the line I was in was not one of Lauren's so I didn't have to fake politeness to her. She was the reason we were outed so early, and I hadn't quite forgiven her for that yet. As some teenaged girl rang up my cart, I grabbed the first rag that caught my eye. Right on the front cover was a picture of Edward and me, arms wrapped around one another in a deep kiss. Going through my memories of that night, I realized these were from his break between sets. As much as the papparazi's attention irritated me, I felt better knowing that now there was proof of our relationship. _Tanya can put that in her pipe and smoke it, stupid hag_. The rest of the pictures were much of the same, most of the concert, one or two of the paps who had followed me home. One photographer got a great shot of Charlie handing the ass of another photographer, the one who broke his camera. It was a great angle. Even the caption was funny.

_"One of the X-17 photographers learned that you don't disturb Papa Bear"_

I ended up buying that particular magazine. I thought it was pretty amusing. Some of the rags tried to take themselves seriously in how they presented the "facts" of their stories. Others, like this one, seemed to enjoy poking fun at themselves as much as the stories.

Thankfully, the cashier didn't pay any attention to the cover of the magazine or who was standing in front of her. I was afraid of another Lauren-esque scene like how she practically chased Edward down for an autograph. Some of the people that came into the bar thought it was funny to ask for my autograph. The first few times it was funny. After that, not so much. I wasn't a celebrity, I was just dating one.

The phone at the bar still rang constantly by reporters wanting to talk to me. I listened to each one and wrote down the details and started a file on them. I thought that eventually Edward and I would probably do a joint interview and this way I could see for myself what some of the companies were like. After a week or so, even those calls started to trickle down. It was almost back to normal as it approached mid-December. Just in time for me to leave for the west coast.

As before, Edward and I had talked every day both through voice and text. A few times we used Skype when we both had our computers handy. We discussed flight plans and travel arrangements. I wanted to pay for the flight myself. Edward refused, stating that he asked me to come out to him so the least he could do was pay my way. I argued that I could afford to fly myself, but Edward persisted, asking in his most charming voice to let him do this. I relented. It was hard to say no to him when he asked like that.

However, when the tickets came, I wanted to choke him with them. Instead of the regular coach flight with the cheapest airline available on the day we decided I'd fly out, he bought me a first class ticket through Continental Airlines. I loved Continental, but there were definitely cheaper airlines out there. And first class to boot! I wasn't sure quite why I was upset; perhaps I felt embarrassed that I couldn't afford to fly like this myself or just angry that he was spending that much money on me. I appreciated the surprise but I wish he would've given me some heads up about the upgrade. I did my best to try to put it out of mind, but it was hard.

The night I received the tickets, I tore into him a little bit during our Skype call. "Edward Anthony Cullen! Why did you buy me first class tickets?"

Edward's eyes widened on my computer screen as he watched me pace in front of my webcam. "Um, because I wanted to?"

"I thought we had discussed coach!"

"You discussed coach. You never asked me if I wanted to buy coach or first class," Edward retorted with a smirk.

"Because you shouldn't have! It's too much!"

"It's safer," he countered.

"What?" I stopped on a dime and peered at him on the screen.

"If anyone recognizes you on the flight, they won't be able to bother you."

"What is the likelihood of someone recognizing me? I mean, come on now."

"You are traveling into LAX. There could be photographers on the plane on their way home. It would be a perfect opportunity."

"I never thought of that," I whispered.

"I had, plus I wanted to spoil you a little. I'm assuming you've never flown first class before?"

"No, never. It was always too expensive."

"Well, it's not for me. I prefer to fly first class just for the privacy. You'll see the advantages."

I sulked a little, not liking the fact I'd lost the argument. "If you say so. I still think you spent too much."

"Bella, how many times do I have to tell you? Money doesn't mean anything to me. If it ensures that you are comfortable and safe, then it was well spent, regardless of the cost."

I nodded and our conversation drifted to other topics. I could see his point, grudgingly, but I could. The part of me that wasn't pissed by the expense of the tickets was touched by the gesture.

The night before I was set to leave, I was horribly nervous. I had never been to the west coast before. This would be the longest I'd ever been away from home except for college, and that was in the same state. This would be the farthest from home I had ever been. This was also the first time I would be away from the bar and leaving it under the control of someone else for a period of time. I trusted Angela and Jake implicitly, but it was still nerve-wracking. I felt like a mother who was letting her child drive for the first time.

I was all packed and ready to go. I had painstakingly typed up unnecessary instructions for Angela and Jake, things they mostly already knew, but I wanted to confirm on paper, things that might come up while I was gone, and just whatever things I could think of that I needed to tell them. I felt slightly neurotic. Edward laughed at me but I think he understood. The bar was my baby and I was giving it to the care of someone else for the first time. It was a big step for me. It could be a bigger step for the two of us, depending on what direction our relationship ended up going. I tried not to focus on that. I hadn't actually left to see if being away would be a success.

Jake and Angela wished me a safe trip and told me that we'd celebrate our own Christmas together when I got back. I made them promise not to defile my office in my absence. Jake laughed. Angela blushed as red as a tomato. Jessica was over the moon in excitement for me. She told me to take lots of pictures of LA and to get autographs of anyone famous I met. Charlie offered to drive me to the airport as well. He figured riding in a police car would be a good paparazzi deterrent. He was right. I didn't see any strange cars or any camera flashes.

Next thing I knew, I was on the plane to Los Angeles. Even with the direct flight, it was still going to be five hours. As I sat in my roomy and comfy chair, I felt a little bit better about Edward buying first class tickets. Being in a chair like this for five hours was much more comfortable then being cramped into an economy chair. A lot of my first class cabin mates were business people. They were wearing clothes that probably cost more than my bar's monthly income. No one seemed to pay me any mind, which was the best part. Most had laptops or briefcases open, working on presentations or quarterly sales reports. I brought some of my paperwork for the restaurant proposal and a book to occupy myself. I decided to start light, and I dug out my paperback.

I woke up a few hours later as the plane hit some turbulence over the desert. My book had flopped over to the side, wedged in between my hip and the side of the chair. I quickly checked the cover for damage. I was one of those people would was anally retentive about how my books were kept. Even paperbacks were treated well. I tried to avoid breaking the spine as much as I could.

Eventually, we started our descent into Los Angeles. I had never seen such a huge city before. It seemed to go on forever, well, until the city reached the coast, but still as far as the eye could see. Landing at LAX wasn't any better. It reminded me of flying into Cleveland's airport because the planes had to follow the landing pattern for the airport over the lake. In Los Angeles, the planes went over the ocean...but a _lot_ more of the ocean. I closed my eyes and thought happy thoughts as we rapidly approached the landing strip. Take-offs were fine. The landings were always where it seemed the roughest.

After just a short period of time, we were at the terminal and the flight attendants were allowing us to deboard. First class got to go first, of course. My excitement grew and completely overshadowed my nervousness. I took out the hat and sunglasses that Edward said to bring and slipped them on before I left the gate. LAX was much larger than the airports I had been to before, but it was fairly easy to find baggage claim. All signs usually led you to baggage claim. Where else were you going to go after you got off a five hour flight? The souvenir shop?

I followed the general flow of people into baggage claim. The last thing I wanted to deal with was lost luggage, especially since Edward's Christmas present was in my bags. There were chauffeurs standing by the exits, some with signs, some without, all waiting for passengers. I ignored them and tried to keep an eye out for anyone with a camera. I saw a few, but I kept my head down and tried to look as natural as possible. I had just found the perfect spot for getting my luggage when the conveyor belts started up. Various pieces of luggage in all kinds of colors began spitting out onto the belt from a door on the wall. My huge green suitcase eventually made an appearance. I was surprised that it came under the weight limit without having to pay extra. I heaved the suitcase over the lip of the belt and righted it so the rollers were on the floor.

With one final calming breath, I squared my shoulders and looked over to the line of chauffeurs. Edward had said he was going to send a driver to get me and to look for the one holding up a sign for me. At the end of the line of drivers, slightly taller then the ones around him, stood a man dressed in a non-descript black suit with a white shirt and black tie. He had a pageboy cap on his head and sunglasses. In his hands was a white cardboard sign with an emblem in black written on it: a swan. My mouth curled up in a smile as I approached my driver.

"Miss Swan?"

I nodded.

"Welcome to LA. Let me take your bags."

**A/N Thank you for sticking with me! I PROMISE that the next chapter will not take six months to post! Teasers for Chapter 23 will be sent with reviews! **


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